“It’s a stripper joint.”
Gage almost dropped his glass. He was so shocked. “You strip?”
Brylee giggled. “Oh, gosh no. I’m too fat and uncoordinated. I’m just a waitress.”
Gage relaxed a bit. “Men try to touch you?”
She nodded. “Yeah,” she said and scrunched up her nose. “But Randy has big men walk around to keep us safe.”
“Why in the hell do you work there?”
“Because I make a lot of money.”
“Does it cost that much to live like you do?”
“Oh, no. Larkin and I started saving up for a trip. I hardly use any of my wages, and all my tips go into my jar.”
“Do you think your roommates are still stealing from you?” Larkin asked.
Gage scowled when Brylee nodded. “Yeah, I marked the jar, and it keeps going down instead of up.” Her friend hadn’t known about her roommates until recently. When Larkin was over to visit, they were always nice to her, and she didn’t want her to worry.
“What are you going to do?” Larkin asked.
Brylee blinked back tears as she stared at Larkin. “I’m hiding my tips now, and I’m trying to look for a different place to live.”
“What about a bank?” Gage suggested.
“I tried, but I need a photo ID, and I don’t have one. I’ve never had a driver’s license, and I haven’t gone to college.”
Gage pulled her in tighter against him and nuzzled her head. “Let me think about this, and we’ll come up with a solution.”
Brylee shook her head, bumping his chin with the back of her head. “I don’t want to be a bother…”
“You’re not.”
Brylee glanced over at Larkin and Darian. She relaxed when Darian smiled reassuringly at her. She trusted Larkin’s, daddy. He was the only man she’d ever trusted in her life.
“Sir, dinner’s ready,” Ella said from the doorway.
“Thank you, Ella. We’ll be right there.”
****
The men helped the girls stand and then took their hands. In the dining room, Darian sat at the head of the table with Larkin to his right and Brylee to his left. Gage sat down next to Brylee.
Gage asked Brylee several questions during the meal but otherwise mainly talked to Darian about business and listened to the girls with half an ear.
The four went into the TV room after the meal passed. They settled on the big sofa with the girls in the middle next to each other and watched a movie. Before long, the girls got sleepy.
“Why don’t you two go on up?” Darian suggested.
“Can I sleep with Brylee, daddy?”
Darian nodded. “You can fall asleep in her bed, but when I come up, I’ll carry you to our bedroom.”
“Can you read us a story?” Larkin asked Darian.
“Yes, but just one.”