A part of her knew she shouldn’t have blurted the truth out like that, but the other part of her didn’t care.
Annie needed to be safe; that was all that mattered.
She could deal with Annie’s outrage and frustration later, but she wasn’t letting this unfold under her own nose—and in a hospital, no less.
What was Annie thinking?
Annie’s friend was going to have to go through her, and she was in no mood to play games with anyone—least of all—the disheveled boy in front of her.
Libby was determined to protect Annie whether she liked it or not.
Annie tried to pry her away. “I don’t know what’s going on, but you need to stop. Devon isn’t who you think he is.”
Libby continued to shake with anger, one hand balled into a fist at her side and the other pointed at him. “Does it make you feel better to take advantage of vulnerable people? Is that the kind of man you’re trying to be, Devon? Shame on you.”
“Stop it,” Annie snapped before yanking Devon back and squaring her shoulders to face Libby. “I don’t know how you found out about Devon, but he’s not a part of some gang or whatever you think this is.”
Libby snorted. “Don’t cover for him.”
Annie was obviously blinded by her feelings for the boy, leaving Libby no choice but to be her eyes, ears, and brain.
Until Annie came to her senses, at least.
Annie frowned. “I’m not. Devon is a counselor at the youth center. He’s been trying to help me figure out a way to get through summer school and…other things.”
Libby’s head swam.“What?”
“I’m sorry about my appearance, Ms. Baker,” Devon said, pausing to meet her gaze directly. “I love being a counselor, but it doesn’t pay all that well, and I’m currently in between houses. I understand that you must’ve been concerned when you found out about me, but I can assure you, Annie was never in danger with me.”
“Neither was anyone else,” Annie added firmly. “Devon, I’m sorry about Libby. Would you please excuse us?”
Libby’s head was still spinning as Annie took her arm and marched her away to a quiet corner in the waiting room, away from prying eyes and ears. Once they got there, Annie released her arm and folded her arms over her chest.
Oh, no. Now you’ve gone and done it, Libby. She is going to hate you forever, and you’ve gone and messed it up by jumping to conclusions.
Why hadn’t she stopped to think about the consequences?
Why hadn’t she stopped to think at all?
Libby felt sick with guilt and regret.
Seeing that boy in the hospital in plain sight had obviously pushed Libby over the edge and triggered something in her, something she hadn’t even known was there.
Annie’s eyes tightened around the edges. “How long have you been spying on me?”
Libby released a harsh breath and winced. “I wasn’t spying. I was keeping an eye on you; there’s a big difference.”
Annie’s eyes tightened further. “How long?”
Libby stood up straighter and cleared her throat. “A few weeks. I just wanted to be sure you were okay. You don’t tell me a thing, Annie, and then I see you with that suspicious-looking boy… What was I supposed to think?”
Annie threw her hands up in the air and shook her head. “You were supposed to trust me and trust I know better than to fall in with that kind of crowd.”
Libby’s stomach clenched. “Of course, I trust you, but you’ve been through so much, and I…I thought he was taking advantage of you, preying on your vulnerabilities to steer you wrong.”
She had to make Annie see that.
Color crept up Annie’s neck and cheeks. “So, you decided the solution to that was to stalk me rather than talk to me?”
