Then again, I could always go to my dad. I knew he would help me if I told him what was going on.
I considered it for a moment.
No. That wasn’t an option. If I went to him, my mother would have a conniption. She would want to know why I was asking him for money. Although she never intentionally came between me and my father, I knew my mother still hated him for what he’d done to her. I couldn’t blame her, but I did not like being caught in the middle.
On top of that, I had to consider my stepmother. If she found out my father was giving me money, she would likely go postal. She wasn’t my biggest fan for whatever reason.
So, I would have to leave my dad out of it for the time being. But I could do this. I could easily work and build a little savings. That was all I needed. In the meantime, I would sell my house and use that money to pay off my credit cards while I worked for the future.
“Why don’t I just loan you the money, Rissa?” she offered. “You can take as much time as you need to pay me back.”
“Thanks, but no. I’m not interested in incurring any more debt.” I was not taking any money from anyone. Pride and all that. “If it’s too much trouble for me to stay there, I completely understand.”
“Nonsense,” she said firmly. “You’re welcome to stay in my condo for as long as you’d like. As you know, it’s still mostly furnished.”
Which I was happy about. “I figured I could store most of my things,” I told her. “Just take my clothes and stuff like that.”
“If you want me to move anything out, just let me know.”
“No,” I said abruptly. “Definitely not. I’m just grateful that it’s still vacant.”
“Is your house ready to go on the market?”
“Almost.” I glanced around the nearly empty living room. “I’ve packed up a lot of it. I need about a week to finish that up and then I have to stage. Unfortunately, there’s no carpet, which I’m sure will be a problem in getting top dollar.”
“No Realtor yet?”
I chuckled. “Of course not. I wouldn’t ask anyone but you. You know that.”
“I’ll stage it,” she insisted. “You focus on getting moved out and Xander and I will handle the rest. We’ll get top dollar, I promise.”
I should’ve known Mercedes would find a way to come to my rescue. She always did.
“You’re a lifesaver, you know that?” She truly was.
I had to admit, my life certainly hadn’t gone the way I’d planned.
However, I also wasn’t going to sit around and stew in the defeat. I was the type to make adjustments in an effort to get through the rough times.
And I would get through this.
Eventually.
“Now that we’ve settled that,” Mercedes prompted, “I want all the dirty details about your lunch with Trent.”
Yeah. If I’d thought asking for a favor was hard, that was—
“Hold on a minute,” I told Mercedes. “Someone’s knocking on my front door.”
Figuring it was another flower delivery, I set the phone on the table and rushed to the door. I yanked it open with a smile only to frown when I noticed a man with a cell phone camera pointed right at my face.
“Ms. Tinsley?”
“Yes?” My eyes followed the cell phone as he lowered it.
“Is it true you’re dating Trent Ramsey?”
“What?” I glanced behind him. “Who are you?”
“How long have you been dating him? Is it serious? Do you belong to one of his sex clubs?”
Before I could respond, a deep voice sounded from somewhere behind the man. “You have two seconds to get off the property before I throw you off.”
My eyes widened when another man appeared. This one was gigantic with a bald head and tattoos creeping up his neck.
I probably should’ve slammed the door shut, but I was stunned as I watched the second man shift the first guy until he was off the front porch.
“I won’t tell you again,” the second man said. “If I see you back here, Ms. Tinsley will be pressing charges.”
The guy with the cell phone camera smirked, but he walked away.
“Who are you?” I asked the other man when he remained on my porch.
“I apologize, Ms. Tinsley. He never should’ve gotten to your door.”
I lifted an eyebrow, waiting for an answer to my original question.
The man held out his hand. “My name is Zeke Lautner. I think it’s best if you close and lock your front door and call Trent. I’ll be right here if you need me.”
Rather than argue, I did as he instructed, then raced over to my phone.
“Hey, Mercedes. I’m gonna have to call you back.” I didn’t wait for her to respond before ending the call and dialing Trent’s number.
“Hello, sunshine,” he greeted. “I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon.”
