Whiskey River, Drown my Soul

Chapter Eleven

After two weeks at the shelter, I was close enough to everyone to know their stories and their plans. For my purposes, Allie Walker was supposedly applying to positions in Tennessee, and had plans to relocate there for a fresh start. Marie had connections to a shelter in Nashville where Allie could stay until she saved enough to get her own apartment. Since I had, actually, lived in Tennessee, and knew the names of all the bars and restaurants there, including names of owners and managers, it was a very believable lie. I could lie pretty fluently now. I had learned that for me the trick was I had to know the lie as well as I knew the truth. If I did, it wouldn't feel like lying and I wouldn't blush or falter.

Oh, how I did miss Nashville...though I wasn't sure how I felt about being in our cottage without Brad. That place was special to us because he had bought it for me, it was where I made the decision to stay with him instead of being with Rev, and it was where we were married. However, I had technically spent more time there with my band and with Rev than I had with my husband. Rev and I had more sex there than I ever did with Brad...only not in our bed. That was Brad's alone.

There were two women in their late twenties who were staying in the shelter that I now knew for a fact were prostitutes. They had approached vulnerable, timid, impressionable Savannah about work. Thankfully she was actually naïve enough not to understand what they were talking about, so when she ran it past me with questions, I gave her an earful. She was horrified. I spent a great deal of time trying to talk common sense and self esteem back into that girl, and since she couldn't figure out what to do, I simply got her started applying to positions in the local area.

Today she had an interview for data entry at a healthcare company. It was entry level, and pay wasn't great, but I knew the benefits were going to be. I also knew that the company was huge and promoted from within. These were all points I brought up to her. I had been coaching her on presentation and conducted mock interviews with her all week.

I carefully helped her choose her attire and smooth her hair into a low bun. She had two copies of her resume and references in a folder which I had helped create.

She was ready and I was so hopeful for her. I prayed hard that she could present the best version of herself today, and that the hiring managers would see her potential.

I had an Uber picking us up forty five minutes before the interview. The place was fifteen minutes away but there was no way I was taking a chance of letting her be late.

We pulled up outside the building, I paid the driver, and we waited on a bench outside until she was only twenty minutes early.

"All right, girl. You got this. I believe in you. I'm going to be sitting right here praying for you until you return", I told her, giving her a hug.

Savannah smiled fully, probably for the first time since I had met her.

"Thank you so much, Allie! Seriously, I cannot thank you enough! I'll be back soon!"

After she disappeared inside the building, I called Rev and got him up to speed on everything.

"I know helping Savannah isn't my mission but it's not taking away from anything", I explained. "I might as well help people while I'm here instead of spending my downtime binge watching TV. This is all in my areas of expertise".

"You're good, love", Rev assured me. "Do your thing. We're keeping busy with investigations on our end, too. It'll come together like it's 'sposed to. You got this".

"I don't want Luke to lose confidence in me", I explained.

Rev chuckled. "He won't. He likes you now".

"Seriously? Since when?"

"Since he punched you and you didn't cry".

I started laughing then, too. Thankfully, my bruises were all gone now.