Cedar Lane Properties—The Wallace Brothers

Chapter 6

Marissa was the easiest person Crystal had been able to talk to in years. Midwesterners were a different breed from uptight Californians, but Crystal suspected Marissa was even more easy going than average. She found it amusing that Mike’s other sibling was a domestic violence counselor.

“s**t!” Marissa had exclaimed for the third time. She’d also thrown damn out a couple of times while Crystal spilled her guts.

“I’m not up to speed on all of Mike’s vacancies. Not with the hunting lodge opening soon up north, but if he gives you a choice, you might request going there. Truman State University would be the perfect place to finish your Bachelor’s, but they are picky about transfer credit. Mike and I both took classes there.”

Marissa also spilled her guts, too.

Crystal now knew Mike was divorced and had recently been dumped by the first girl he’d dated since the divorce. This was part of the reason why he was building a new lodge farther north—to get away from his exes. He always spent the first year or so in residence at a new property and did a lot of the construction himself. The Schuyler County property was his first new build.

Marissa dug out more shoe boxes for Crystal to see.

“Oh, I think these three pair are plenty,” Crystal told her with a laugh. She’d never had more than two pair before. A good pair of sneakers and a pair of sandals were all she’d ever needed.

“These are for mud and snow.” Marissa removed the lids. “You’re in Missouri, now!”

Duck boots. Okay.

“Try these on while I go check the phone stash.”

Crystal couldn’t believe her good fortune. She had selected several outfits—Marissa explained how it was possible to use the heat and the AC on the same day in Missouri—and they were trendy, too. All thanks to generous donations from the local community.

For domestic violence victims.

That hurt a little, but Crystal was grateful even if she felt like a charity case. She vowed to give back when she was on her feet.

Having her own phone again was going to be another weight off her shoulders. Allen’s slow, but deliberate, cutting of her independence through communication with the outside world had gone unnoticed at first. She didn’t really have anyone to stay in contact with, but when she’d been unable to get a dial tone through the phone provided by the B&B, she’d become fully aware.

Crystal had no idea what time it was when she knocked on Mike’s door last night, but she’d had no other choice. There’d been a hitch in Allen’s snores when she slipped out the door and she didn’t dare run down the stairs for fear he’d hear her footsteps. She feared hearing that door open and of him finding her.

Crystal shook herself. She was not going to be just another victim. She was going to accept this hand up and get herself in a position to give back. Marissa spoke as if Mike had already hired her. Crystal vowed to squash her attraction to him even though she thought it might be mutual.

Unless he doesn’t hire me. Then we’ll see.

Marissa returned with an armful of phone boxes and cords. “I forgot to ask if you were an iPhone, Android or Galaxy user,” she explained.

“I’m definitely not picky in a situation like this!” Crystal cringed at her choice of words.

“Well, then I suggest this iPhone since I’ve got cases and screen protectors for it. Looks like the charger and ear buds are all there, too.”

Marissa had explained that the phones were refurbished but did have a 90 day warranty. The data was limited but could access WiFi, which the B&B had. Crystal didn’t point out that she only had two more nights there unless she worked out some sort of deal with Mike.

She’d do the application as soon as she was done here. One step at a time.

**

Mark had called while Crystal and Marissa were still together. Forensics in Boone County had promptly picked up Caleb’s jacket and had found $1200 sewn into the liner. After several calls to Detective Campbell, they’d all agreed to turn a blind eye and give the money to Crystal. From what forensics could tell, the money had been hidden by the owner of the jacket and wasn’t really evidence. As the only surviving relative, the money was rightfully Crystal’s. It wasn’t a lot, but it was all she had right now. Mike knew it would help empower her, too. A courier would deliver it tomorrow.

He waited now for Marissa to call for help in carrying Crystal’s selections. He’d long given up arguing with his sister about the amount of stuff she piled on her “clients,” as she referred to them. Most wound up going back to their abusive situations and left much of it behind in their haste.

Missouri weather is unpredictable, he could hear his sister’s voice say in his mind. A truer statement about his state’s weather would be difficult to find, but the closet—another parlor, actually—was always overflowing. Twice a year, they did a little purge and donated excess items to organizations that helped disaster survivors.

With Ames potentially going away for a long time, Mike knew that running back to her abusive ex wouldn’t be the case this time, unless Crystal simply decided to run. Since she’d asked for a job, he didn’t think she would be going anywhere.

He’d spent the afternoon coming up with options to offer Crystal, including asking her on a date. Other companies had rules about employees dating. He didn’t. In a rural area, that was difficult to control. Some of his best employees were married to or dating other staff members.

He wouldn’t ask for a date yet, based on the situation. He believed he had come up with a better plan to get his foot in the proverbial door. The new lodge wasn’t anywhere near ready yet, but two of the smaller cabins were.

Mike offered all of his location managers a wage, living quarters and insurance. Other positions didn’t come with the housing benefit, but he did offer education assistance and was sure he could come up with something that wouldn’t sound like charity.

DV survivors—the ones that successfully left and stayed left—had taught him not to treat them like charity cases. If Crystal was stubborn, he knew there were a lot of student housing options up north if he had to offer her a lesser position and could convince her to enroll in more classes.

Now to await her application. He decided to be proactive and go see if they needed help.