Twyla Montgomery sighed, a sad, tired sound. “I got handed my walking papers today. Security guard watched me clean out my locker, even checked my bag afterward to make sure I wasn’t taking anything that wasn’t mine before walking me out the door.”

“Fired?” Monty couldn’t get his mind around that bit of information. “You were fired?”

“Wasn’t needed anymore. Have to provide jobs for those more deserving.”

“They said that?” Then it clicked. “They wanted you to join the HFL in order to keep your job.”

“As if I need to belong to some organization in order to clean the toilets those fools mess up every day.”

“Gods.” Monty rested his head against the back of the couch. “Mama, you did right not joining the HFL. They’re doing nothing but stirring up trouble.”

“You think I can’t see that?”

The dry tone made him smile. His mama didn’t tolerate fools—especially fools who wore suits that cost more than she made in a month. But his smile faded as he realized what losing the job meant for her. “When do you have to move out of your apartment?”

“Soon. I can stay with your sister for a few days, but she’s got her troubles too.”

How long since he’d talked to Sierra? His sister sent letters, breezy bits of news that, he realized now, didn’t actually tell him much.

Monty looked around his apartment. Lizzy was spending the night with Sarah Denby, Eve and Pete’s daughter. He’d intended to crash at the efficiency apartment in the Courtyard, but Captain Burke made a comment about possession being nine-tenths of the law—a pointed reminder that his landlady had a key and could decide he’d abandoned the place, which she could rent for twice as much as what he was currently paying. He wanted to keep this one-bedroom apartment until his lease ran out at the end of the year—or until the Courtyard took possession of the two buildings on Crowfield Avenue and he and Lizzy could move into one of the two-bedroom apartments.

“You often say that opportunities come out of bad moments as often as they come out of good.”

“Where’s the good in me being fired?” Twyla demanded.

“I need help taking care of Lizzy. Some friends are looking after her while I’m at work, but Eve has a job and her own two kids. I’ve been thinking about this ever since Lizzy arrived in Lakeside. She needs you, Mama. So do I.”

A thoughtful silence. “Any chance of me finding work where you are now?”

Monty hesitated. “Maybe.”

“I’m not living off my children, Crispin. Not you, not Sierra.”