She knew that there had to be more. It wasn’t fathomable for her to be so lifeless and still not live the way she wanted to. She had a silver Ford Taurus that got her from point A to B and no further, and she couldn’t afford a decent apartment. The only rooms she could find within her budget were in shabbier parts of town than where she was now, not to mention requiring a steep increase in the rent she was now paying to Theresa. She would’ve preferred to be driving in something a bit more luxurious—a Cadillac or maybe even a Jaguar—but these were notes she could only afford in her dreams.

Crystal kept her savings in check and helped the household in every way possible. She wanted to eventually purchase a house in Arlington or Fort Worth, but for the time being she contributed to every bill and expense there was. Theresa was grateful for such a considerate tenant and did everything she could to help Crystal. The entire family lived by the statement “One hand washes the other.”

It was actually a blessing in disguise, with Theresa knowing what type of man Crystal’s father was. After all they’d been neighbors for years and knew all too well that his daughter’s pregnancy was entirely too big a wound for his pride and ego. Christmas was around the corner, and Crystal was five months shy of twenty-four. She had officially had enough of the retail bit; it just didn’t make sense to continue with something that was leading her on a long path to nowhere. She was ready for something new, and once the new year arrived, she brought her dreams of The Ranch to life once more.

Crystal had saved enough capital to live comfortably during a planned hiatus as she figured out what she needed to do with her life. She discussed her ideas of resignation from GUESS with Ronda and Theresa, feeling that it was courteous on her part to give a heads-up about her life and goals with them. They were gracious hosts, and she wanted nothing more than to keep the serenity she found within their home at peace. She still didn’t know if she had what it took to get hired at the club, and she didn’t feel that she should let Theresa in on her quick money scheme. Six years had passed since the last time she dialed The Ranch, but one lovely spring day in April, she took it upon herself to pick up that handle once again.

“Thank you for calling The Ranch Gentlemen’s Club. How may I direct your call?”