I cast my gaze behind the bar and saw Tyra looked like she was trying not to laugh. Her eyes were on Joker, and they were dancing.

Tack was also looking at Joker, and his lips were curved up as well, but he was also shaking his head.

I didn’t know what any of this meant, and I didn’t give it any time to figure it out.

I couldn’t.

Because I didn’t know what to do.

Or say.

What I did know was that that ache had both intensified and lessened. The contradiction couldn’t be real, but it was and I knew it because I could feel it.

“You tell her about your place?” Joker asked and I turned my eyes back at him to see he was addressing Tack and Tyra.

“Yeah,” Tack replied. “She’s movin’ in at the end of the month.”

I opened my mouth again and again didn’t get anything out before Joker spoke.

“Good. It’s safe, Carrie, and clean. It’s also close to LeLane’s.”

My body locked.

Carrie?

I stared at him and the ache was gone.

Then something he said hit me.

“It’s close to LeLane’s?” I asked.

“Your store. Only maybe five, ten minute drive away,” Joker answered.

In my life, five, ten minutes was a far sight better than twenty. Not to mention, I’d save on gas money. Not thousands of dollars, but every savings meant something to me.

Further, I absolutely intended to pay Big Petey something for looking after Travis, but I knew whatever that was would probably not come close to what I was paying my daycare center. Travis’s center was awesome, but it was expensive.

My current rent was super cheap. But paying whatever I was going to pay Big Petey, which would be less than what I was currently paying for daycare, would more than likely cover the additional it would cost to live at Tyra’s old place.

And bottom line, where I lived was noisy. It wasn’t safe. It wasn’t attractive. It wasn’t well kept. It was too small. And I lived on the third floor. Since I was no way in heck going to leave my son in my apartment while I carried up groceries (or whatever) that meant I had to climb two flights of stairs repeatedly, carting up whatever I had to cart up along with Travis. And that was a pain in the behind.

All this meant I had no choice but to accept their kindness.

Again.

Maybe, when I became a stylist, Tyra would let me do her hair for free and let me do this for eternity.

I looked from Joker to Tack and Tyra. “Can we arrange for Travis and me to look at it tomorrow? Say, after I get done with my shift?”

Tyra’s face lit up. “Sure thing.”

“Notice today, though, babe,” Tack ordered.

I nodded.

“Yo,” we all heard.