“Caroline is the mom of the girl they left paralyzed.” The unfairness of the situation eats me. For all parties involved.
“Shit.” He rubs the back of his neck. “That’s where she sends money every month?”
"Looks like it. For many, many years, I assume, since no matter how much she works, she can’t even buy new tires for her Jeep. And they’re meant to keep her alive in snow, for fuck’s sake. She was maybe fifteen when it happened? That’s how she ended up with Marina. I don’t remember all that much from then because she was way younger, but the rumors circulated around the town.” I sigh. “I’ll take that drink now.” I point to the bottle.
He stands up, grabs the bottle, and pours me a generous amount. “Wanna see her?”
“Yeah.” I croak.
“Let’s go.”
He walks off, coming back fully dressed only a couple minutes later. We walk to his car. The drive to wherever we are going is silent. My stomach is tight with knots of anticipation. I’ll finally be seeing the woman I love. The only one I ever loved, and I’m sure the only one I ever will.
We stop at a multi-story building with a full wall of windows.
“There.” He points at one of the windows, and I see it.
I see her. She’s leaning on the counter and talking with a dark-haired chick covered in so many piercings I can barely see her skin. Kayla’s hair is gathered on top of her head in that signature messy bun I know she wastes no time making. She's wearing an oversized white shirt, those black leather pants that I love to hate, and her favorite Dr. Martens. She's laughing at something the woman said, and her whole face brightens. She looks happy and carefree. Someone walks in and calls to her. She turns around, and her face shines. She hurries to give them a hug and walks with her into the back.
“That’s Cherry.” Archie’s voice fetches me from dreamland. “Kayla’s supposed to help her ink her regular today, but I bet she’ll be the one doing the inking. Cherry lets her get away with a lot.”
“She’s so talented.”
“That.” He laughs. “And Cherry has a crush on her.”
I don't blame her; anyone would.
“Now, do you see?” I feel his eyes on me.
“I see.”
* * *
The drive home is miserable. I make the decision for the both of us: I decided to keep the truth to myself so she can have her dream. If she wants to stay in Boston by the time she's done with school, I'll move there, too. I’ll find mechanic work and do what I do best—fix cars and give her orgasms.
Yeah, my heart whines.Then what? How long will it take? A year? Two? What if she finds someone else?
I seriously contemplate returning just so I can explain to her what went wrong. Just so I can tell her that I love her. Hoping she’ll give me a chance when she knows the truth. If I were her and found out what my brother had done, I wouldn't want to be anywhere near me or my family. We've been messing with her for so long. I can do that. Return to her... but then it will be about me again, about us, and not abouther.
I groan and grip the wheel tighter. I can't do that to her. I can wait. In the meantime, I’ll deal with her problems any way I can.
ChapterThirty-Four
KAYLA
Caroline keeps calling me, and I keep not picking up. I already sent her money this month, but two days after the payment, she called again and asked for more, claiming that Maddie needs more medicine this month, but I don’t have anything to send her. Nothing. I feel awful because a child needs medicine, but there is nothing I can do right now.
I woke up this morning with a homesickness that only Marina, Freya, Alex, and the diner could fix. And… maybe just a glimpse of Justin.
Freya tried talking to me about him a few weeks ago, but I cut her off right after she mentioned his name. I was in too good a place to destroy it with the bitter memories of the last time I saw him. But now I have to admit, I miss him like crazy. Working at one of the most popular parlors in New England (even as a newbie) comes with a lot of good perks, and one of them is meeting so many interesting and super-hot people. Some of them—okay, most of them—hit on me, but I just laugh it off. They don’t make it weird—it feels more like extra attention rather than creeping, considering the atmosphere in the parlor is so light and friendly and flirty. But never in all those months I’ve been in Boston have I responded to any of the flirting. Never. Both my mind and my heart were still dead set on missing Justin and weren’t interested in anyone else.
The drive back home was uneventful, but I couldn't help but rack my brain for other ways I could obtain extra cash to pay Caroline. I'm so lost in thought that I don't notice the car parked next to my trailer until it's too late.
There’s three people in the car, but I only recognize one: Caroline in the passenger seat. The other two are a bald man who looks to be in his early thirties in the driver’s seat and a guy in the back seat sporting tribal tattoos on his neck and arms. Come to think of it, I think I've seen the bald guy before—when I was fifteen, he and Caroline had come to have a "chat" for the first time.
How Caroline found out where I live, I have no idea. But the fact that she brought a party along with her only meant one thing for me: bad news.
I climb out of my Jeep and walk to the trailer just as they do the same.
