a couple of parking tickets I
wouldn’t mind having taken care of.”
“Hannah.”
“Sorry. So how much trouble is he in?”
“I’m not sure yet, but he could go to jail.”
“Yikes, Wesley’s too pretty to survive in jail.”
“I’m so regretting making this phone call.”
“Sorry. Do you want my attorney’s number? He did a great
job of getting my assault charge against Russel dismissed.”
Hannah had a thing for married guys—and for public
breakups, which her last married guy had responded to by
filing an assault charge. “Uh, thanks, but Wesley already
has an attorney.” Plus, she suspected that Hannah’s ex
dropping the charges had more to do with his reluctance
to face the six-foot-tal , tongue-pierced, stripe-haired,
goth-garbed Hannah in an open courtroom than with her
attorney’s expertise. “His arraignment is Monday.”
“I won’t be back until Tuesday or I’d go with you. Is there
anything I can do from here to help?”
A rush of fondness swelled Carlotta’s chest and she
laughed. “Not unless you have a spare thousand you could
wire me.” Her friend would know she was kidding, of
course. Hannah earned barely enough with her sporadic
catering work to pay for her culinary classes.
“Uh-oh. Does this have to do with his case or something
else?”
“Something else.”
Hannah sighed. “His loan sharks again?”
“Yeah.”
“Gee, Carlotta, you know I’d give it to you if I had it, but
even if I did, that’s only a temporary solution. How much
does he owe now?”
She closed her eyes and swallowed bile. “Close to twenty
thousand.”
“Shit fuck fire.”
“I know.”
Hannah groaned. “Carlotta, I know you don’t want to hear
this, but don’t you think it’s time for little brother to grow
up? I mean, Christ, when you were his age you were
raising a kid.”
Carlotta sank her teeth into her lower lip. She’d been the
only eighteen-year-old at the middle-school PTA meetings,
and she had sheltered Wesley so he could enjoy his
childhood for as long as possible. But Hannah had a point.
“You’re right,” she said with a sigh. “But I think he’s trying
to take responsibility for what he did. He wouldn’t let me
go to the attorney’s office with him.”
“Good, give him some rope, Carlotta.”
“But what if he hangs himself with it?”
“Just make sure he doesn’t have the other end tied around
your neck. That boy needs some tough love, or you’l be
bailing him out of jail and out of debt for the rest of your
life.”
“You’re right. I’l try.”
“Meanwhile, the little shit needs to get a job—how’s that
for a revolutionary idea? I might be able to get him some
catering work, but he’d need a car.”
“And a driver’s license, so that’s out. But thanks. And
thanks for the pep talk. Sorry I woke you up.”
“Ah, hell, we were awake…sort of.”
“We?”
“My pastry instructor. I told you how cute he is.”
Carlotta frowned. “And how married he is.”
“That, too. Hang in there and good luck on Monday. I’l call
you when I get back.”
The call was disconnected, leaving Carlotta to shake her
head. One of these days Hannah was going to meet up
with a vindictive wife in a dark alley.
She drank from her coffee cup, but the liquid had gone
cold. She winced, her mind stil whirling with questions
and what-ifs and worst-case scenarios. Then she pushed to
her feet, thinking she might as wel go to work. As much as
the loan shark’s voice haunted her, she could only deal
with one crisis at a time.
First, they had to get through Wesley’s arraignment on
Monday. She didn’t trust Liz Fischer, but she hoped that
this time her father’s former mistress had something
helpful up her skirt.
6
Carlotta sat in the back row of the courthouse gallery,
shooting anxious glances between the wall clock and the
door. She and Wesley had arrived together, but he’d said
he needed to visit the men’s
wouldn’t mind having taken care of.”
“Hannah.”
“Sorry. So how much trouble is he in?”
“I’m not sure yet, but he could go to jail.”
“Yikes, Wesley’s too pretty to survive in jail.”
“I’m so regretting making this phone call.”
“Sorry. Do you want my attorney’s number? He did a great
job of getting my assault charge against Russel dismissed.”
Hannah had a thing for married guys—and for public
breakups, which her last married guy had responded to by
filing an assault charge. “Uh, thanks, but Wesley already
has an attorney.” Plus, she suspected that Hannah’s ex
dropping the charges had more to do with his reluctance
to face the six-foot-tal , tongue-pierced, stripe-haired,
goth-garbed Hannah in an open courtroom than with her
attorney’s expertise. “His arraignment is Monday.”
“I won’t be back until Tuesday or I’d go with you. Is there
anything I can do from here to help?”
A rush of fondness swelled Carlotta’s chest and she
laughed. “Not unless you have a spare thousand you could
wire me.” Her friend would know she was kidding, of
course. Hannah earned barely enough with her sporadic
catering work to pay for her culinary classes.
“Uh-oh. Does this have to do with his case or something
else?”
“Something else.”
Hannah sighed. “His loan sharks again?”
“Yeah.”
“Gee, Carlotta, you know I’d give it to you if I had it, but
even if I did, that’s only a temporary solution. How much
does he owe now?”
She closed her eyes and swallowed bile. “Close to twenty
thousand.”
“Shit fuck fire.”
“I know.”
Hannah groaned. “Carlotta, I know you don’t want to hear
this, but don’t you think it’s time for little brother to grow
up? I mean, Christ, when you were his age you were
raising a kid.”
Carlotta sank her teeth into her lower lip. She’d been the
only eighteen-year-old at the middle-school PTA meetings,
and she had sheltered Wesley so he could enjoy his
childhood for as long as possible. But Hannah had a point.
“You’re right,” she said with a sigh. “But I think he’s trying
to take responsibility for what he did. He wouldn’t let me
go to the attorney’s office with him.”
“Good, give him some rope, Carlotta.”
“But what if he hangs himself with it?”
“Just make sure he doesn’t have the other end tied around
your neck. That boy needs some tough love, or you’l be
bailing him out of jail and out of debt for the rest of your
life.”
“You’re right. I’l try.”
“Meanwhile, the little shit needs to get a job—how’s that
for a revolutionary idea? I might be able to get him some
catering work, but he’d need a car.”
“And a driver’s license, so that’s out. But thanks. And
thanks for the pep talk. Sorry I woke you up.”
“Ah, hell, we were awake…sort of.”
“We?”
“My pastry instructor. I told you how cute he is.”
Carlotta frowned. “And how married he is.”
“That, too. Hang in there and good luck on Monday. I’l call
you when I get back.”
The call was disconnected, leaving Carlotta to shake her
head. One of these days Hannah was going to meet up
with a vindictive wife in a dark alley.
She drank from her coffee cup, but the liquid had gone
cold. She winced, her mind stil whirling with questions
and what-ifs and worst-case scenarios. Then she pushed to
her feet, thinking she might as wel go to work. As much as
the loan shark’s voice haunted her, she could only deal
with one crisis at a time.
First, they had to get through Wesley’s arraignment on
Monday. She didn’t trust Liz Fischer, but she hoped that
this time her father’s former mistress had something
helpful up her skirt.
6
Carlotta sat in the back row of the courthouse gallery,
shooting anxious glances between the wall clock and the
door. She and Wesley had arrived together, but he’d said
he needed to visit the men’s
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