Buck howled with laughter, clapping his hands. “You are a fucking riot! You know that? I ain’t never realized how funny you was!” Cane’s nostrils flared and reddened, and Buck held his hands up, smirking. “Thursday at five for my five mill.”
Buck finally turned, laughing one more time before walking away. He climbed into an old, dark green pickup truck and pulled off, tires screeching, but of course he didn’t go peacefully. On his way out, he stuck a middle finger out the window and laughed like it was the funniest thing ever.
Cane watched until he could no longer see him, and then he turned toward us. He pushed Lora away from Miss Cane and grabbed Miss Cane’s wrist, practically dragging her up the stoop and into the house.
“Cane! Stop!” Lora yelled. I rushed after them, shutting the door behind me. When I rounded the corner, Cane had Miss Cane’s upper arms locked in his hands and forced her to sit down, then he crouched down on one knee. “Give me your goddamn phone,” he demanded.
“W-what? Why?” she asked.
“Give it to me! Now!” he barked, and she flinched but dug into her back pocket, handing it to him.
“If I go through this phone, I won’t find any random fucking numbers or text messages from him, will I?”
Miss Cane looked from him to Lora nervously.
“Will I, Ma?” His voice was louder and she put her attention back on him. She didn’t answer, so he turned the screen on and handed the phone to her. “Unlock it.”
“Cane, I didn’t get in touch with Buck, I swear!” she cried.
“So why are you so afraid to open your fucking phone?”
“Cane, ease up, all right?” Lora interrupted.
Cane stood up straight, facing Lora. “No, Lora, I’m not going to ease up! We fucking told her not to get in touch with him, but she did it any fucking way!”
“How do you even know she did? Buck could have easily found us! You’re not invisible, Cane! It was a whole nine months since the last time we heard anything about him, and you’re the one who fired the investigator who was watching him. And you heard him! He was watching Kandy! He could have followed her here one day and saw the house!”
I shivered at the thought, folding my arms and closing my eyes.
Cane turned toward Miss Cane again, but Miss Cane was already standing. She handed her unlocked phone to him, and Cane snatched it away. He scrolled through it maniacally, and when he locked in on something, he turned the phone back around so she could see the screen and asked, “Who’s number is this?”
Miss Cane’s throat bobbed as she studied the number.
“Whose number is it, Ma!” He roared, and she flinched again, squeezing her eyes shut. Two tears slid down her cheeks, and my heart literally felt like it’d been squeezed when I saw them.
“It’s Andy’s,” she confessed.
Lora and Cane stared at her, confused.
“Who the hell is Andy?” Lora asked.
Miss Cane looked between her kids briefly before dropping her eyes. “He’s a guy I met when I was going to the meetings.”
After that confession, Cane’s eyes expanded, his hostility rapidly transforming to regret.
“I met him a little over a year ago,” she sniffled. “At first, it wasn’t anything. We just met at the meetings, talked over coffee and donuts, but then he found me on Facebook. We started chatting on there, and then eventually we swapped numbers.” She bit back her tears. “I told you I would never do that to you again, Cane, and I meant that. I haven’t spoken to Buck since that promise I made you while I was in rehab.” Her voice was thick. “He is just as dead to me as he is to you! I’ve learned my lesson, all right? And I love my kids! I love you two to death, and I made a promise to both of you that I was here! I have been here ever since I got out, and I am not going anywhere. Yes, some days were harder than others, but seeing you two so happy pushed me through it because I didn’t want to be the one who did something selfish to ruin everything again.”
“Fuck, Ma,” Cane groaned, swiping his hands over his face. “Why didn’t you just tell me you were seeing somebody?”
“Because I wasn’t ready to tell anyone yet. I’m still getting to know him.”
“Shit.” He handed her phone back, then pulled her in for a hug. “I’m sorry,” he murmured over her shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay,” she cooed, rubbing his back. “It’s all right, son. I understand.” She pulled back, holding his shoulders. “But you and I both know you don’t owe him a thing. You worked your butt off for that company.”
“I know, but what other choice do I have? I’m finally in good standing with my investors and other businesses around the world. If he starts running his mouth—which he will—I know it will make me look bad, and I’ll lose money again. I can’t afford it a second time.”