“And what will you be doing?” I asked. “You think Tyson is cheating, and you’re breaking up with him. How are you going to handle it?”
“It would be rude to do it over the phone. I’m disgusted by him, but I can give him a few hours to move out and pick up his things. That should keep everything peaceful.”
“Are you sure you’re telling him tonight?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Do you want me there?”
“No. It should be fine.”
A kid placed his hat by our feet and then began beatboxing. Intrigued, we paused our conversation and watched him as he jumped into a dance, moving with his rhythm. People began to clap as he jumped and jerked around like a snake. After two minutes, he bowed.
I dug into my pants and asked the kid, “How old are you? You’re out here early.”
“Twelve. My favorite book comes out today. I’ve got to make some money.” He stared at my wallet as I pulled it out.
“Where are your parents?” Mia handed him two dollars.
The boy glanced over his shoulder as if his mother or father were stomping down the road after him. “My mom’s asleep. She told me we could buy it, when she gets paid, but I had to get the Kingmaker before it sold out.”
The novel was a popular hardback costing close to thirty dollars. The kid would be dancing all morning for it, and probably not get a book by the end of the day.
I grabbed two twenties. “Here. Go ahead and get in line. You did a good job. You deserve it and I don’t want you to get in trouble.”
“Holy shit,” the boy shrieked.
I frowned. “Hey, no cursing.”
“Sorry.” He rushed off.
“And then go home so you don’t get in trouble!” Mia called after him.
The kid waved at her and rushed to the end of the line, gripping his hat and the twenties in his hand.
“That was unexpected and nice,” Mia said. “You already bought my baking students books.”
Mia did a free evening baking class at this church in a rough neighborhood. A lot of teens went. I didn’t like her in that area at night. After someone had broken into her car, I’d come along, pretending to want to learn about baking.
Once, I’d worn a Kingmaker shirt to her class and discovered that most of the teens loved the books. It was obvious that I should order the kids some books on release day. They’d been good for Mia, never giving her problems and watching out for her the few nights I couldn’t tag along.
“No problem,” I said. “They’ve earned the books. Had I thought of it before, I would’ve ordered even more. It sucks they won’t get them until Wednesday.”
“Trust me. No one’s complaining. Many of them wouldn’t have been able to afford to get them this month anyway. It was a nice thing to do.”
“That’s me. Mr. Nice Guy.”
“Yes, Mr. Nice Guy who wants no connection just sex.” She sighed. “And here I’ll be back in the dating game, trying to avoid guys like you.”
“Ouch.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean it that way. I like you, but I’m saying I would want more from a guy than meeting him in a hotel.”
“You haven’t had sex with me. You’d be surprised what you would like.”
She eyed me and blushed. “You’re probably right.”
Her phone rang before I could flirt a little more. She dug into her bag and read the text message.
“Bullshit,” she muttered.
“What?”
“Tyson says he has to work a double shift and won’t be able to talk this evening. He wants to talk tomorrow night. Fuck that. He’s stalling. Last time he did this was when his aunt passed—”
“His aunt?” I raised my eyebrows.
“Did you know her?”
“I didn’t know he had any aunts. In the past, I’ve been at his house a few times for Christmas and his grandmother’s birthday. It’s just them. His mother was an only child. He has no connection to his father’s side.”
“Are you kidding me? He told me his aunt passed away a few weeks ago. It’s the whole reason why I let him stay with me. He was depressed and down on money and...God, I’m so stupid.”
“No, don’t say that. You’re nice. You were trying to help someone you cared for.”
“I was also getting played.”
“We live, and we learn.”
“And we let douchebags into our apartments, apparently.”
The more I was hearing about Tyson, the more I was getting pissed. He’d been cheating and now he was using her for her place and lying?
If he needed money or a place to live, he should’ve just came to me. He didn’t have to guilt Mia and take advantage of her kindness.
“And. . .” Mia shook her head in pure embarrassment. “This is going to sound crazy. I don’t even know why I’m going to tell you this. I should tell my brother, but he would just tell me I was insane. Usually, I would’ve called Ashley about this, but she’s probably involved.”