“I want to do this for you, Beth. I want to give you something you need, instead of it always being the other way around. There is no one on earth I’d rather lend my womb to, believe me. But… are you sure? Like, really, really sure? Maybe it’s just a matter of timing. Maybe you and Renner can work this out on your own.”
Josie wasn’t comfortable with Renner being opposed to the surrogacy. It made her uneasy, deep down where her morals and conscience played see-saw on the playground of her heart.
“It’s been four years. We have sex like rabbits. If it was timing, our bodies would have synced by now, surely.” She shook her head. “We need this. Renner needs more babies to love, and I can’t think of another way to make it work. I won’t lie to you, Jos,” she said, her eyes filling with tears. “I wish it was me. I wish I could give him another one on my own, I do. But it doesn’t look like that’s possible.”
On the phone, Beth had been businesslike about it. Like they were negotiating a deal for a womb time-share in south Florida or something. But now Josie could see how much pain her friend was in, and it tore at her heart. She’d never been good at comforting others, but she had to try.
Pulling Beth into a hug, she gave her a shoulder to cry on.
“Aw, Beth. It’s going to be alright. We’ll figure this out.”
“I know,” she sniffed. “You’re right, I know.”
Josie reached to the counter to grab a tissue from the box there, and passed it to Beth.
“There’s no problem we can’t work through. You know that. We’ll just give it some time, think this through. Talk to Ren. I’ve got nothing but time right now, and this place is pretty great for being in the middle of the sticks. I’ll stay until we get it settled.”
Beth nodded, dabbing her eyes, before squeezing Josie tight. “Thank you.”
“You know I gotchu.”
Beth let out a watery laugh as she went to turn the music down.
“You didn’t leave your job did you?” she asked, changing topics.
“Well… that’s actually why I’m here.” Josie took a deep breath. “I got canned.”
Beth’s eyes widened with surprise, quickly replaced by disappointment. Josie was used to seeing it. She wasn’t exactly known for being responsible, and her fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants ways had always been a source of contention between her and Beth. Probably because Beth was a straight-laced planner who always had to sweep up the wreckage when Josie spun out of control.
The accident had left Josie desperate to make the most of her time on earth. Near death experiences will do that, make you see things differently. Make you care less about rules and regulations, and more about living in the moment no matter the expense to yourself or others. But she’d done a lot of work to better herself in the last few years, and although she wasn’t quite where she wanted to be on that journey, she was proud of the changes she’d made.
Beth sighed. “What happened?”
“It wasn’t my fault this time, okay. It really wasn’t.”
She’d kept this job doing the books for a popular Memphis dance club longer than the last. A lot longer. Two years longer in fact. The clubs offered fantastic money for someone with her skills, but they were rife with skeevy men, and hell on her nerves.
She thought of her bank account and didn’t miss the irony that she could take care of other people’s finances just fine, but not her own. She cursed herself for not being more careful. Now she was jobless, somehow broke, and all but in the wind again.
But it was okay. Josie was good when she was flying free.
For a time at least. As long as she could rein it back in before things got messy.
“It was that bastard, Jake,” she blurted.
“The owner?”
Josie nodded. “I couldn’t take it anymore, Beth. Every fucking day, ‘Yo, Josie. I got a large column you can add to your total.’” She reached down and grabbed her crotch, imitating her ex-boss with a slimy laugh. “‘I could put it in your accounts receivable if you’d like. Just say the word, baby.’ You know, he called me his ‘accounting bitch’. Not bitchy accountant, because that might’ve been accurate, but his accounting bitch. Like that was my title. Like he owned me.”
Beth’s expression twisted up in disgust. “Ew.”
“Yeah, ew. So, the other day he thought it was time he got a feel of my ass.” Josie shivered at the memory of his grimy hands on her. “And that was it. Too far. He crossed the line.”
“Agreed. But…” Beth eyed her knowingly. “Did you retaliate?”