Chapter 33 #2
“Tough, man. But she doesn’t accept any help. She’s even paying me rent, believe it or not.” I pointedly look around as he speaks. “Yeah, I don’t need money, as you can imagine. I just want her to finish school so she can be my number one artist.”
“Can I somehow… I don’t know, help financially?” I’m lost here. I feel useless, a feeling I’ve never enjoyed.
“I don’t think it will go well. And I repeat, I don’t need the money, but the stubborn mule refuses to accept it. I feel bad; these monthly payments she’s sending somewhere are draining her dry.” He waves his hand at something in the air, clearly annoyed with Kayla.
“What monthly payments?” My ears perk up.
“You don’t know?” He hesitates.
“No.” I shake my head, hoping he’ll keep going. “I know she’s been having money trouble for a long time but could never figure out why.”
“Oh fuck.” It’s his turn to grab his head in his hands.
“Alright, you didn’t hear it from me. She hasn’t said anything directly to me, but I’ve heard her talking to someone named Caroline about sending money to her late this month because she was short on cash or something.
I offered to help, but you can guess how that went. ”
“Caroline?” What the fuck?
He perks up. “You know who it is?”
“God, I hope I’m wrong.” But I don’t think I am; little pieces of Kayla’s puzzle are slowly coming together.
“What do you mean?” His brows furrow with concern. Can I trust him? I can’t stand the dude, but he’s helping Kayla and doesn’t seem to be eager to creep under her skirt.
“Oh fuck.” I take a deep breath. “Years ago, I don’t even remember when exactly, Kayla’s mother and sister hit somebody on the road and left town right after. Nobody has heard from them since.”
“And Kayla?”
“She stayed in Little Hope. I don’t remember much about it, but I do remember she wasn’t in the car when it happened. She was a kid herself.” The thought of her own family leaving her must have hit hard. She was just a kid.
“And her mother and sister just left?” His jaw sets in anger for Kayla, and maybe—just maybe—I can tolerate him a little more.
“Yeah, and I don’t think anyone knows where they are, including Kayla. As far as I know, she detests them.”
“How does Caroline fit in the picture?” he asks.
“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 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 multistory 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 they walk together 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 decide 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 about her .
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.