Read Online Charity For Nothing: The Virtues Book III by A.J. Downey - Free Book Online
Authors: A.J. Downey
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was the longest two minutes of my life.
Damn, but I fucked that one up good. It was probably for the best for her though. I turned and looked at the photographs on the walls of my smiling wife and our beautiful little girl.
No probably about it, it was for the best.
Chapter 9
Charity
“Okay, spill. What’s Nothing’s deal?” I stood just behind the couch, dripping on the hardwood floor of Cutter’s entryway. Hope leaned her head way back over Cutter’s thigh so she could see me, while Cutter just nonchalantly turned his head my direction. They were cute together, her lying out on the couch, head in his lap, but right now; there was no way I was going to admit it out loud.
“Well, if I had to hazard a guess,” Cutter drawled, “I’d say you struck a nerve in our boy, and given his feelings over his late wife and the like, I don’t imagine he quite knows how to handle that.”
“Charming,” I said, and felt my shoulders drop, “What happened anyways? All anyone will say is that it was some kind of accident.”
“Well that’s just not my place to tell, Darlin’. You’ll have to get that from the horse’s mouth.”
I looked to Hope for help and she snorted, shrugging her shoulders indelicately where she lay across Cutter’s lap, “Don’t look at me, I know as much about it as you do. Some things are just Nothing’s story to tell; it’s how it works with these guys. Can’t say I didn’t warn you about that.”
I looked at the ground and closed my eyes, placing the palm of my hand on the back of my neck and pulling to ease the tension from it.
“I’d like to help him if I can,” I admitted, “There’s something about him.”
“Well, see, that there’s your problem, Darlin’. There ain’t no one that can help Nothing but Nothing. You can’t help someone who isn’t willin’ to help themselves and he just ain’t there yet.”
I nodded, and thought about it, “Right, thanks… I’m going to bed.”
“So early?” Hope asked, searching my face.
“Yeah, I’m beat.”
“Okay, g’night Blossom.”
I went upstairs and changed out of my wet clothes and into dry, pulling down a towel from the top of my closet to dry my hair. It would turn into the soft waves that Faith’s hair held when it dried. I needed to straight iron my hair to keep it flat. I didn’t see a whole lot of keeping it straight if it rained all the time like this. Or with as much swimming as I planned to do when the sun finally came out to play for longer than an hour or two at a time. I plugged my phone in on the bedside table and sighed, picking up the picture frame Nothing had drunkenly fixed with my help.
“I miss you, Mom,” I murmured and kissed my fingertips, placing them over her image behind the glass.
I thought for a long time about Nothing and his odd behavior since I’d rolled into town and came up with zero conclusions, because truthfully? What could I conclude? I was missing pieces of the puzzle and couldn’t yet tell the whole picture from the pieces I had. The only thing I could do was wait for Nothing to hand the missing pieces over.
I blew out an explosive breath and crashed, only when I got up the next morning, instead of sunshine, it was just more of the steady pounding rain with the odd gust of wind. Apparently the storm was moving in for real now.
I got dressed and went downstairs and found Hope in the kitchen looking miserable, waiting for the coffee to brew; I laughed.
“Shut up,” she grumbled at me.
“Where is everyone?”
“Storm’s moving in quicker than anticipated, some of the guys are getting the Reclaimer out of the water and the rest are moving the bikes to a storage place sturdy enough to withstand the beating coming our way.
“Shouldn’t this place be boarded up?” My sister shook her head.
“It has rolling shutters.”
I jumped and let out a yip at the unexpected voice behind me, I turned around to see Faith wide eyed and jumpy just as much as
Damn, but I fucked that one up good. It was probably for the best for her though. I turned and looked at the photographs on the walls of my smiling wife and our beautiful little girl.
No probably about it, it was for the best.
Chapter 9
Charity
“Okay, spill. What’s Nothing’s deal?” I stood just behind the couch, dripping on the hardwood floor of Cutter’s entryway. Hope leaned her head way back over Cutter’s thigh so she could see me, while Cutter just nonchalantly turned his head my direction. They were cute together, her lying out on the couch, head in his lap, but right now; there was no way I was going to admit it out loud.
“Well, if I had to hazard a guess,” Cutter drawled, “I’d say you struck a nerve in our boy, and given his feelings over his late wife and the like, I don’t imagine he quite knows how to handle that.”
“Charming,” I said, and felt my shoulders drop, “What happened anyways? All anyone will say is that it was some kind of accident.”
“Well that’s just not my place to tell, Darlin’. You’ll have to get that from the horse’s mouth.”
I looked to Hope for help and she snorted, shrugging her shoulders indelicately where she lay across Cutter’s lap, “Don’t look at me, I know as much about it as you do. Some things are just Nothing’s story to tell; it’s how it works with these guys. Can’t say I didn’t warn you about that.”
I looked at the ground and closed my eyes, placing the palm of my hand on the back of my neck and pulling to ease the tension from it.
“I’d like to help him if I can,” I admitted, “There’s something about him.”
“Well, see, that there’s your problem, Darlin’. There ain’t no one that can help Nothing but Nothing. You can’t help someone who isn’t willin’ to help themselves and he just ain’t there yet.”
I nodded, and thought about it, “Right, thanks… I’m going to bed.”
“So early?” Hope asked, searching my face.
“Yeah, I’m beat.”
“Okay, g’night Blossom.”
I went upstairs and changed out of my wet clothes and into dry, pulling down a towel from the top of my closet to dry my hair. It would turn into the soft waves that Faith’s hair held when it dried. I needed to straight iron my hair to keep it flat. I didn’t see a whole lot of keeping it straight if it rained all the time like this. Or with as much swimming as I planned to do when the sun finally came out to play for longer than an hour or two at a time. I plugged my phone in on the bedside table and sighed, picking up the picture frame Nothing had drunkenly fixed with my help.
“I miss you, Mom,” I murmured and kissed my fingertips, placing them over her image behind the glass.
I thought for a long time about Nothing and his odd behavior since I’d rolled into town and came up with zero conclusions, because truthfully? What could I conclude? I was missing pieces of the puzzle and couldn’t yet tell the whole picture from the pieces I had. The only thing I could do was wait for Nothing to hand the missing pieces over.
I blew out an explosive breath and crashed, only when I got up the next morning, instead of sunshine, it was just more of the steady pounding rain with the odd gust of wind. Apparently the storm was moving in for real now.
I got dressed and went downstairs and found Hope in the kitchen looking miserable, waiting for the coffee to brew; I laughed.
“Shut up,” she grumbled at me.
“Where is everyone?”
“Storm’s moving in quicker than anticipated, some of the guys are getting the Reclaimer out of the water and the rest are moving the bikes to a storage place sturdy enough to withstand the beating coming our way.
“Shouldn’t this place be boarded up?” My sister shook her head.
“It has rolling shutters.”
I jumped and let out a yip at the unexpected voice behind me, I turned around to see Faith wide eyed and jumpy just as much as
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