Текст книги "Hold on tight"

Автор книги: Abbi Glines

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Текущая страница: 2 (всего у книги 12 страниц)

She couldn’t—I stopped and stepped back, and then my eyes went back to the boy in front of me.

“Micah, go to your room,” she said in a calm, even voice. “Now. Go.”

“But he’s nice—” the little boy started, but she cut him off.

“Micah, go.”

I watched the back of his head as he walked away from me. I wanted to see his face again. I wanted

to study it. This was not . . . This couldn’t . . . No. He was too young. He wasn’t Dustin’s. There was

no way she’d had my brother’s kid and hid him from me . . . from us. But the kid had said his dad was

a basketball player. He’d never known Dustin. He obviously knew his dad.

“Hello, Dewayne,” Sienna said, with a tone of warning I didn’t miss. My head was still reeling.

How did she have a kid? I thought she’d lost her mind when my brother had died. Not gone off and

started a family.

I stared at her. I didn’t understand. I was trying to wrap my brain around it. How old was that kid?

Where the hell was his father? Men didn’t let women like this one walk away. Especially with a kid

that damn cute.

“Sienna,” I finally said. “It’s been a long time.”

Chapter Two

Eight years ago . . .

DEWAYNE

“Freshman girls,” Preston Drake drawled, sounding pleased as he looked down the hallway. “Damn

shame they’ll be illegal before the year is over. We need to enjoy being seventeen while we can.”

Marcus elbowed Preston in the ribs. “Dude, you’re a douche. Glad my sister won’t be here until

next year when we’re gone.”

Preston chuckled. We all knew he wasn’t going to touch Amanda Hardy. She was our little sister

too. Or at least¸ it felt like it. We’d been friends with Marcus since Amanda was in diapers.

“Y’all seen Trisha?” Rock asked as he walked up to us with a frown firmly in place. It was the kind

of frown that meant he was on the verge of beating the shit out of someone.

“No. She didn’t take the bus?” Marcus asked.

Rock shook his head. “Stupid piece-of-shit mother of hers. I’m gonna have to go find her. I’ll be

back later. Cover for me,” he said, before turning and heading for the back exit of the building. This

was a once-a-week thing. Trisha had a verbally abusive mother, and her mother’s current boyfriend

had slapped Trisha’s younger brother, Krit, around last week. Trisha had jumped on the man’s back

and started pulling his hair, and he’d slung her across the room. If Rock hadn’t shown up when he did,

Trisha would have ended up in the hospital or worse. Rock was working on getting her out of there.

But he had to do something about her younger brother, too. She wouldn’t leave him in a dangerous

situation.

“Ain’t that Dustin’s girlfriend?” Marcus asked, drawing my attention back to the present moment. I

scanned the people until I saw Sienna Roy standing in the crowd with her book bag held protectively

to her chest and her eyes wide with wonder. She looked lost. Where the fuck was my brother? The girl

had turned into a beauty overnight. I had told him just last month he needed to make their relationship

official before they started high school. Guys were going to notice her.

“Yeah, it is, and the stupid little fucker isn’t anywhere around,” I muttered. Sienna was so damn

overprotected by her parents that she didn’t have much of a life outside of her house and ours. My

brother was already going to parties, but Sienna didn’t get to go. And she never seemed to have friends

over. Dustin was her friend. But his stupid ass was nowhere to be found.

“They break up?” Preston asked, taking a new, keen interest in Sienna. Fuck no. He could back his

horny ass off.

“They were never a couple. And don’t even go there. I’ll beat your ass. Do you understand me?”

Preston gave me that cocky grin that I’d hate if he wasn’t one of my best friends. Right now,

though, I was considering knocking it off his face.

“Don’t piss him off, Preston. I’m not in the mood to handle that without some backup,” Marcus

said, glaring at Preston.

I wasn’t going to let my little brother leave Sienna out there to the dogs. And there were lots of

fucking dogs at this school.

“I’ll meet y’all in first period. I got something to do,” I told them, but didn’t make eye contact. I

didn’t want to see the looks on their faces. I never messed with freshmen. But this one freshman

needed me, and if my brother wasn’t going to take care of her, I was.

I didn’t have to shove through the crowd. It split for me as I made my way to Sienna. I was halfway

there when her gaze found me. First her eyes went wide with surprise, and then a shy smile touched

her face. Damn, she was pretty. Too damn pretty. My brother was an idiot.

“Hey, Little Red, looks like you found your way to the big leagues,” I teased her as I took her arm

gently and pulled her to the side of the busy hallway. “You found your locker yet?”

She blushed and glanced down at her feet. I followed her gaze and noticed she was wearing a pair

of cowboy boots with her skirt. That was sexy as hell. Fuck! She was a kid. She was also my brother’s

girl. He just needed to grow up and realize it.

“I looked for it, but there are so many people and I couldn’t remember if the one hundreds are on

the first or second floor. So I just figured I’d carry my books around today and stay late to find it.”

Her books weighed more than she did. “What’s your number?” I asked her. I wasn’t letting her

carry those books around all day.

“One eighty-eight,” she said, frowning and looking around again. The hall was so full of people, it

would be hard to see the locker numbers from her height.

“Come on. Can’t have you getting a backache your first day of school,” I told her, and put my hand

on her back to guide her through the crowd. I could see people looking at us, and I wanted to glare at

them all and warn them to be careful with her. But I didn’t. I made my threat silently. I kept my hand

on her back as we walked down the hall and turned left to find her locker in the first row on the east

wing.

“This is it. You got the combination?”

She looked relieved. She dropped her bag and began going through it until she pulled out a little

scrap of paper. “Here it is,” she said, beaming at me before carefully turning the lock until it popped

open. I took the door from her and made a little change to the inside of it.

“Now close it. Let me show you something,” I told her.

She closed it without question and looked up at me.

“Hit it twice.”

She barely slapped at it.

Chuckling, I shook my head. “No, Little Red. You got to hit it twice. Like this.” I showed her, then

turned the lock once and it opened up.

Her eyes went wide. “How’d you do that?”

Winking at her, I grabbed her book bag and put it inside the locker. “Magic, sweetheart.” I closed

the door again. “Now you try it again.”

She hit it harder this time, and with one twist of the lock it popped open. She laughed and clapped

her hands in excitement. “That is so cool. Thank you, Dewayne.”

Yeah, my brother was going to have to do something fast, because this kind of pretty wasn’t going

to be left alone long. I’d have to make sure no one else got near her until Dustin woke the fuck up.

Present day . . .

SIENNA

I had wanted to prepare myself for this. I needed time to think this through. Had they sent Dewayne

over here to look at Micah? To see if he was Dustin’s? Was that what this was?

My stomach turned, and I was sure I was going to throw up right here at his feet. Micah didn’t

know them. They hadn’t made any attempt to know him. I couldn’t just let them try to walk into his

life. Not like this.

“It has been a long time. Why are you here?” I replied, not taking my eyes off Dewayne. He was

still larger than life. More so than when I was a teenager. He had a few more piercings now and a

couple more tattoos. His shoulders were even wider, and the thick, corded muscles in his arms were

intimidating. The man was like a brick wall.

Yet those eyelashes of his were still too thick for a male, and even though he’d pierced his lip, it

didn’t take away from the plumpness that women paid good money to mimic. The worn jeans that

looked like they needed a good washing hugged him in a way I wanted to ignore. I had to ignore. This

man was off-limits to me.

He wasn’t just the nice guy who had been my friend when I was younger. He was also a man who

had abandoned me when I’d needed someone the most. Even if he was delicious and what female

fantasies were made of, I would never forgive him. Dustin had adored him, yet Dustin’s son didn’t

even know him.

He cocked an eyebrow at me, as if he was surprised by my reaction to him. “Came over to see who

the new neighbors were. Beat-to-shit car parked out front concerned me. Neighborhood’s not what it

used to be.”

Once I wouldn’t have been able to look past his perfectly chiseled face and full lips to get angry

with him. That wasn’t the case any longer. My hands fisted at my sides, and I wanted nothing more

than to punch him in the nose. I owned that car. I had worked hard to buy that car.

“I’ll keep that in mind. I can assure you we’re not going to cause any problems,” I replied, walking

over to the door and putting my hand on it to let him know I was done with this visit and wanted him

to leave.

Dewayne frowned, and his dark eyes, which in my dreams had looked at me like he had today when

I’d walked into the room, were now narrowed. Great, I’d managed to piss off the massive, monstersize

man who could knock me down with one hard puff. “Where did that sweet girl I used to know go?

You lose her somewhere?” Dewayne’s voice was even, but the low, menacing sound to it bothered me.

What did he expect me to do? Bat my eyelashes at him and swoon like I had when I was a kid?

“She learned to toughen up and trust no one.” I gripped the door, fighting the urge to slam it in his

face. Because I was pretty sure he could rip it off its hinges if provoked. “Thanks for stopping by. Now

that you know we aren’t about to dirty up the neighborhood with our presence, you can go on back to

your parents’ place. We’re fine here.” I started closing the door. Dewayne stepped back. To my

surprise, he turned around, then started walking away.

At least he took the hint. I was torn between being angry and being relieved. He’d left without

making a scene and upsetting Micah . . . but he hadn’t asked me one thing about him. Hadn’t asked to

see him or asked for his parents to get to meet him. That was a pain I thought I’d gotten over years

ago. Now I realized I hadn’t. Living here was like ripping the scab right off. It hurt something fierce.

Locking the door, I moved over to peek through the curtains and saw Dewayne talking to his dad as

he walked inside their house. Why were they like this? I had loved them like my own family. At times

growing up, I’d wished they were my family. Tabby had always had a smile and open arms when I

needed to throw myself into them. Never would I have imagined that the child of the son they’d

adored would be completely ignored.

Micah was so special. He had his father’s charm, and he was so smart. He was like a little grown

man in a child’s body. Everyone who had ever met him fell in love with him. Just like his father. His

smile was Dustin’s, and so was his laugh. It was like having a part of Dustin with me all the time.

Micah was his own person, and he had wonderful qualities his father hadn’t had. He was perfect.

Dustin would have wanted Micah to have his last name. That would never be. I did the only thing I

could do and gave him his father’s given name instead. Micah Dustin Roy was what I put on his birth

certificate. Back then I had hoped that one day the Falcos would allow me to change his last name to

Falco. That dream had passed years ago.

“Momma?” Micah’s voice was filled with concern.

I walked over to him and squatted down to his eye level. He knew he shouldn’t have answered the

door. It was something I had drilled into his head since we’d moved out of Aunt Cathy’s. We still had

to talk about this. Just because he felt safe here didn’t mean there was no danger.

“You know better than to open that door,” I told him.

His shoulders slumped and he nodded. “Yeah. I know. I forgot. But that man was nice. He wasn’t a

bad guy, was he, Momma?”

I thought about that. Dewayne wasn’t a bad guy the way that Micah meant. But he wasn’t a good

man. A good man wouldn’t have turned on his brother’s child. “He’s not someone we need to spend

time with. He won’t hurt us or anything, but I don’t trust him. Our business is our business. That’s it.

Okay? We don’t share our business with anyone. When someone comes into our life who I feel we can

trust, I will let you know. Until then, it’s just me and you.”

Micah nodded. “Okay. Just me and you.”

I held up my fist. “Dynamic Duo,” I said.

He fisted up his hand and bumped mine. “Dynamic Duo,” he repeated. Then he threw his arms

around me and hugged me tightly. “Love you, Momma.”

“I love you, too, baby boy.”

I held on to him as long as he would let me. When he was done, he dropped his arms and stood

back. “I’m gonna go back to my room and play.”

I stood up and pressed a kiss to his head. “I’m gonna fix us some supper,” I told him.

“Mac ’n’ cheese!” he called out as he ran for his room.

“No. You’re gonna turn into mac ’n’ cheese,” I called back to him, laughing, before heading to the

kitchen. Tonight we were eating bread pizzas. It was something I had come up with to make a cheap

meal interesting. Slices of sandwich bread with tomato paste, cheese, pepperoni, and mushrooms

didn’t cost much and made several meals.

“You’re gonna make bread pizzas, aren’t you?” he said as he stuck his head back out of his room

and looked down the hall toward the kitchen.

“Yep. You gonna help me?”

“Yup!” he called back. “You don’t put enough cheese,” he explained as he came running back

toward me.

DEWAYNE

“What’s the verdict? You think the kid who answered the door is gonna be the new neighborhood drug

lord?” Dad asked as he followed me into the house.

I shot him an annoyed glare and he chuckled. He didn’t realize that shit actually went on in some

places. It was my job to keep them safe, even if he didn’t accept that.

“Looked right terrifying. ’Specially when he peeked around your legs at me.”

The kid had been cool. Dad would love him. . . . But . . . I wasn’t sure I was gonna tell him just who

that kid belonged to. Sienna wasn’t the same girl they’d known. She was cold, distant, and hiding

something. I knew enough about people to know when someone wanted to get rid of me because they

didn’t want me to see too closely.

The boy had to be what had made her clam up. She didn’t want us to know she’d turned around and

gotten knocked up, probably no more than a year after Dustin was killed. Can’t say I blame her,

because it didn’t look real good. Maybe she really had snapped, and because she was mentally

unstable, she’d made a mistake and ended up with Micah.

She sure didn’t look mentally unstable now. Fuck. Who was I kidding? The woman could be crazy

as a loon and I wouldn’t have noticed. Her body and that gorgeous face of hers had hindered my seeing

the real her. She was the kind of good-looking that made guys not give a shit if she was insane.

But the boy had been normal. Happy, even. Didn’t look scared or neglected. A crazy momma

couldn’t raise such a normal-acting kid. Could she? Was he even hers? Could that be her secret, that

she was raising someone else’s kid?

“That brain of yours sure is a-workin’. The tiny tike drug lord worrying you?”

I shook my head and rolled my eyes at my dad.

“Is that Dewayne I hear? Did my boy finally come see me?” Momma’s voice called out from the

kitchen. The guilt swamped me as she came around the corner, smiling like I had just lit up her world,

and opened her arms to me. I was the only kid she had now. Not the one who was going to be a star

and make them proud. I was the tatted-up rebel who had planned on raising hell and traveling the

world with nothing but a backpack. No reason to stay anywhere long.

But then the good son, the one who had been meant for greatness, got drunk and ran his car into a

fucking tree going over a hundred miles an hour. Now she had me. I was it. And I was still a fuckup

even though I tried like hell to do the right thing. Make her proud.

“Sorry, Momma. I should’ve slowed down long enough to get over here. Won’t happen again,” I

told her as I returned her hug. The top of her head didn’t even touch my chin.

“Good. I missed you,” she said, stepping back and then swatting me with the dish towel in her hand.

“I’m about to pull the apple pie out of the oven and run it over to the new neighbors. Then we can sit

down and eat.”

Fuck. I hadn’t thought about Momma and her apple pies. Of course she’d want to take one to

Sienna. I needed to prevent that. Bad idea. Momma was still too raw from the anniversary of Dustin’s

death. She didn’t need to see her new neighbors just yet.

“Yeah, not gonna happen tonight. I just went over there and met them. They were headed out to

dinner and to get some groceries. Didn’t seem much to want company. Really odd woman.”

Momma frowned and then shrugged. “Then y’all can eat my pie and I’ll make another tomorrow

and see if I can’t get it over there to them. Shouldn’t be calling the poor woman odd, though.”

She turned and walked back toward the kitchen, and I followed behind her. I knew there would be

beer in the fridge, and I needed one.

“All I saw was legs, but from the look of them, wasn’t nothing about them legs odd,” Dad said

behind me.

The old man loved to cause problems. He found that shit funny. “Legs were okay, I guess, but the

rest of her was average. Nothing special,” I lied.

I so fucking lied.

Chapter Three

Eight years ago . . .

DEWAYNE

“Dude. Seriously. Fuck.” Preston’s tone of voice caught my attention, and I looked up from unlacing

my football cleats to see what he was so excited about.

Ellie Nova was headed our way. And she was smoking hot. But then, Ellie was always smoking hot.

When she’d moved here our freshman year, we’d all walked around with hard-ons, hoping to get a

glimpse up those short skirts of hers or a go at her tits. Which were fucking huge.

“I want some of that. Before we graduate, I want that pussy,” Preston said in a low voice.

The problem with Ellie was that she had a whole shit ton of money and she was a princess. No, she

was a fucking queen. She looked down her nose at everyone. Didn’t matter—guys still fantasized

about her. She was Sea Breeze High’s own centerfold.

“Good luck. I think she may be the only ass in our senior class you haven’t tapped—and the only

one you never will,” I said. I loved rubbing it in to pretty boy that Ellie hadn’t given him the time of

day.

“Okay, first of all, I’ve not tapped ugly ass. I have standards. And second of all, I’ll get between

those thighs before we leave this place. I’m Preston Drake,” he reminded me, with a cocky shrug and a

smirk.

Truthfully, if any of us was going to lay Ellie, it would be Preston. I had no doubt.

“Dewayne,” Ellie’s voice said, startling me, and I turned to look at her. I was pretty sure she’d

never actually said my name in four years.

“Yeah?” I replied, refusing to let her know I wanted a taste.

She twirled a lock of golden hair around her finger and nibbled on her bottom lip as she looked up

at me through thick lashes. I didn’t even care if those lashes were fake. This was a hot look. A very

fucking hot look.

“I was wondering if maybe you could give me a ride home,” she said with a pouty mouth.

I could give her a ride, all right. One she wouldn’t soon forget.

“Fuck that,” Preston cursed behind me. This was going to drive him nuts.

I couldn’t help but grin. “Sure. Just let me get my bag out of the locker room,” I said, trying not to

act like I was happy about this. Playing it cool with Ellie was the only way I’d get what I wanted out

of her.

“Thank you so much. My car’s in the shop, and I didn’t want to call Daddy to come get me.”

I didn’t want her calling Daddy either. I had plans that I was sure Daddy wouldn’t approve of.

Preston shoved me as I walked by him, and I bit back a laugh. This was so pissing him off. And I’d

have it to rub in his face for the rest of our lives. I got between Ellie’s legs first. Because that was the

game plan. I wanted to see if that stuck-up, hot-as-fuck pussy was worth all the attention it got her.

“Hey, Sienna, what’s up with you, girl? Come looking for me?”

Preston’s words stopped me, and I turned back around to see Sienna looking unsure as she smiled

that sweet, shy smile at Preston. Then she looked at me. Damn. That smile. It made something in me

clench up like a motherfucker every time. Did she realize that?

“I, uh, was going to see if I could get a ride. I missed the bus and Dustin has already left, I think. I

didn’t see him much today, and I don’t know where he goes after school,” she said, her cheeks turning

pink as she looked at me.

“Yes, beautiful, you sure as hell can. I was just thinking I hated riding home alone,” Preston replied

in that sugary-sweet tone that was meant to goad me. He was getting his revenge. Or he thought he

was.

“No,” I said, walking over to Sienna to take her arm. “I’ll get Sienna home. You take Ellie home,” I

told him, making sure he understood I wasn’t fucking around.

Preston understood. His smirk was more than pleased. He’d be fucking Ellie first after all. And

after this I was pretty damn sure I’d never get a taste of Ellie Nova. But she wasn’t important enough

to ignore Sienna for. If Sienna needed me, I couldn’t find it in me to tell her no. And I sure as fuck

wasn’t letting Preston around her. Alone. Hell no.

Present day . . .

SIENNA

By Friday we had found our rhythm. Micah got up and dressed himself while I made breakfast, which

consisted of a Pop-Tart and a glass of milk. That wasn’t going to win me Mom of the Year, but he

liked Cookies & Creme Pop-Tarts, and I liked getting him to school on time. We did eat breakfast

together. I ate my breakfast bar and drank some coffee while Micah chatted away happily.

I was not a morning person. I couldn’t even form words until I’d had at least thirty minutes of

wake-up time and two cups of coffee. Micah, on the other hand, woke up singing. This morning he had

told me his predictions for the upcoming basketball season. I’d had no idea what he was saying, but I

nodded and sipped my caffeine.

Getting myself dressed took more time, but it gave Micah a chance to play with his toys and pick

out what he wanted me to pack him for lunch. He liked having choices. Most days we didn’t have

many choices, but he still wanted to pick it out.

He hadn’t been late once all week, and neither had I. My new job was Tuesday through Saturday.

Micah went to after-school care until five every day. The counselor at his school had told me about it.

The cost was determined by my income, so it was much more affordable than a day care.

An added bonus was that several of the kids from his class went to after-school care too. So he

enjoyed getting to play with his new friends. If it weren’t for the fact that I had to see the Falcos’

house every day, then this would all be perfect. But seeing Dustin’s house continually reminded me of

the rejection that Micah didn’t deserve from people whose blood he shared.

“Sienna . . . Roy?” a familiar voice said, breaking me out of my thoughts while I was sweeping up

the hair from my last appointment. Lifting my head, I reminded myself that I was prepared for this.

People were going to recognize me. Just because I had gone a week without being recognized (aside

from Dewayne) didn’t mean it wasn’t going to happen eventually.

Amanda Hardy smiled at me as she tucked her long, shiny blond hair behind her ear. Her eyes

sparkled with actual pleasure to see me. But then, that was Amanda. She’d been a year behind me in

school, but her older brother, Marcus, was a close friend of Dewayne’s and I had gotten to know her

through him. She had always been pretty, but she was gorgeous now. I hadn’t seen her since she was

fifteen. The diamond on her left hand caught the sunlight. Not surprising that she was engaged. I

imagine the guys around here had beaten down her door—that is, if they’d been able to get past

Marcus.

I leaned the broom against my work station and walked over to where she stood at the receptionist

desk. “Hello, Amanda,” I said.

She pulled her designer purse up on her arm and kept beaming at me like I was the lost ark and

she’d found me. In my head I ran through the wealthy guys around here who could have afforded to

put a ring on her finger. She was sweet, but she was also a princess. Always had been.

“I didn’t know you were back in town. And you’re working here? I can’t believe it. You were just

gone. . . .” She stopped, and the sadness in her eyes reminded me that she had been close enough to the

Falcos through Marcus that she remembered how painful that had been.

“My mother retired and moved to Florida. She gave me the house. I thought it was time I came

home,” I explained. I had no idea what my parents had told people. I knew they hadn’t told them the

truth. At least, I assumed they hadn’t. I feared they may have told other people what I’d heard my

mother tell Dewayne. I hoped not.

Her pretty frown deepened, and the pity in her eyes put out the earlier twinkle. “I heard about your

dad. I’m sorry.”

I nodded. I wasn’t sure what else to say. My anger at him was still there. He’d taken my son’s

family away from him. The love Micah deserved had been stolen from him because of my father.

“Manda, how long did you say you’d . . .” The trademark blond hair that belonged to none other

than Preston Drake was the first thing I noticed.

His eyes went from Amanda to me, and then they went wide in surprise. Preston was also one of

Dewayne’s close friends. That group of four guys had owned Sea Breeze High their senior year. Most

girls drooled over Preston—he’d been the heartbreaker. But not me. My fascination had been with

Dewayne. Preston had done nothing for me.

“Holy shit! Is that you, Sienna?” Preston asked as he stepped inside and walked toward us.

Apparently, Dewayne hadn’t told anyone he’d seen me. I would not accept the fact that it hurt. He

had proved already how much he didn’t care. I don’t know why I was surprised.

“Yes, it’s me,” I replied just as Preston’s arm wrapped around Amanda’s waist and he tugged her

against him, then kissed her temple. No way. No freaking way. Marcus would kill him. Wouldn’t he?

Preston had slept with most of Sea Breeze, and Marcus knew that better than anyone. How was he

walking around and kissing on Marcus’s little sister?

Amanda giggled, and Preston’s grin grew.

“How are you alive?” I asked him as they both looked amused at the shock on my face.

“Oh, he beat my face in. But then he got over it and accepted it. We didn’t give him much choice,”

Preston said.

I simply nodded, then looked back at Amanda. “So that ring is . . .”

“Preston Drake is getting hitched. Hard to believe, isn’t it?” she said in a teasing tone, then pinched

Preston’s waist.

“Watch it, sexy,” he said, gazing down at her like she was the most precious thing on the face of the

earth.

Had I ever had a guy look at me like that?

No.

I hadn’t. The only love I knew was the love of a boy. He’d never had a chance to become a man. I

had no idea what being loved by a man felt like. And until this moment I would have said I didn’t

care, but watching these two, I wondered if I would ever know that feeling.

“It’s good to see you. Glad you’re back in town,” Preston said, then turned his attention back to

Amanda. “Call when you’re done. I’ll come back and pick you up, yeah?”

She nodded. He kissed her fast and hard, then headed for the door.

The silly grin on Amanda’s face as she watched him go just brought home the fact that I didn’t

know that kind of love and I probably never would. Didn’t matter, though. I had Micah. He was so

much more.

“Sorry. He’s clingy today because I’ve been gone for two days, wedding gown shopping in

Manhattan with Sadie, a friend of mine.”

I nodded like I understood, but “shopping” and “Manhattan” were foreign words to me. I bought

stuff at the local Walmart.

“Do you have an appointment with someone?” I asked. I didn’t want to be rude, but I still hadn’t

taken my lunch break and it was already three.

“Yes, with Hillary at three fifteen,” she replied.

Hillary was the owner. She had trained in New York, Los Angeles, and Paris. The fact that she had

even hired me was a miracle. I was good at what I did, I knew that, but I wasn’t trained like she was.

“I’m here,” Hillary called out as she walked from the back room. Her long red hair was not at all

natural. but it was exotic. Add to that her crystal-blue eyes, her eyelash extensions, and the collagen in

her lips, and she was a head turner.

Amanda waved at her, then smiled at me. “I’m so glad you’re back. We need to get together

sometime. Maybe go out one night.”

I wouldn’t be going out at night. Leaving Micah wasn’t an option. I nodded instead because I didn’t

feel like telling her about Micah yet. She would ask questions I didn’t want to answer yet. Besides,

anyone who knew Dustin and took one look at Micah would know.”

DEWAYNE

The condos were going to be finished on time. One less worry on my mind. After the tropical storm

that came through in July, I was afraid it was going to put us off a month or so. Investors were getting

nervous, and all that came to rest on my shoulders. Fucking idiots should have considered the fact that

weather slows shit down before promising buyers that the place would be ready before Christmas.

Dumbasses.

Pulling off my hard hat, I stepped out onto the parking lot from the building and headed for my

truck. I was done for the day. The crew was rolling and didn’t need me. I’d been out here since five

this morning. Squinting against the sun, I was able to make out Preston leaning up against my truck

with a smirk on his face. Why was he here? He never showed up at my work sites.

“Just dropped Manda off to get her hair done,” Preston said, looking at me pointedly.

I had no fucking idea what this was about, so I just stood silently and waited for there to be a point