Chapter 18 #2
“Boyfriend?” he repeated, his voice pitching higher in disbelief as his gaze darted between myself and Ford. “Are you two…together?”
Heat climbed my cheeks. Ford’s eyes sparkled with barely contained amusement as he watched me explain things to my brother.
“No, of course not,” I said, hating how flustered I sounded. “It was just easier to say my boyfriend than explain that it was for the sister of my bodyguard.” I winced. “That just sounds…weird. And then your boss would wonder why I even have a bodyguard.”
My brother still looked unconvinced as we walked toward the sushi restaurant. Ford slipped a few steps behind us, giving Christopher and I space but still close by, watchful and alert.
“I don’t like that you have to have a bodyguard,” Christopher finally muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets. “But I’m glad you do…just in case.”
“Ford thought we might have been followed the other day,” I admitted quietly.
Christopher jerked his head toward me, eyes wide. “What?”
“A blue sports car,” I explained, watching as his lips tightened and something I couldn’t quite pinpoint flash in his eyes.
“If they were following us, Ford lost them quickly. He’s good at what he does.
I know he’ll keep me safe, if this guy from the casino is even after me. They’re still investigating.”
Christopher’s shoulders slumped. He rubbed a hand over his face, looking even more stressed out.
“Are you sleeping?” I asked, studying him closely. “You look exhausted.”
“I’m fine,” he insisted. “It’s just work.”
I truly did hope that’s all it was. I lightly and playfully bumped my shoulder against his. “Well, you’d better get used to sleepless nights if you’re serious about community college. You’re still planning to do that at night while working at the museum, right?”
Christopher shifted uncomfortably. “Yeah, about that...”
I frowned, my chest tightening. He’d been so excited when he’d first mentioned it, his eyes lighting up with possibilities. Now…he just looked like he was already giving up. “What’s wrong?”
He avoided my gaze as we crossed the street. “Nothing. Just…not sure about the community college thing. I’m not sure I’ll actually have time for it.”
A knot twisted low in my stomach. I knew my brother and something was off. “Christopher…”
“I shouldn’t have brought it up,” he muttered.
“But you seemed so excited,” I said, trying to get a deeper read on him, and failing. “This would be so good for you. A degree could mean a better job, better pay, and something more reliable.”
He just shrugged. “Yeah, well, we’ll see.”
I stopped walking on the sidewalk, forcing him to do the same and look at me. Ford remained right behind us, but didn’t step into the conversation. “Are you sure everything’s okay?” I asked him again, unable to keep the concern from my voice. “Is there something going on?”
His jaw clenched. “No.”
“Christopher.” My voice sharpened, protective big-sister mode kicking in. “I know when you’re lying to me. Stop trying to convince me otherwise.”
He sighed heavily, frustration and shame written all over his face. “I got a parking ticket, okay?” he said, his tone harsh. “The cop was an asshole and we got into a bit of an argument.”
My heart stuttered. “Oh, god, don’t tell me he wrote you up…”
“No.” he shook his head. “Just a fine. I don’t have to go to court.”
I exhaled a long breath. Relief, but laced with irritation. “Please, next time, just take the ticket without an argument.”
“He was being an asshole about it,” Christopher repeated, his tone heated.
I bit back the urge to lecture him more. Stubbornness was one thing we both had in spades. “All right,” I relented. “As long as you don’t have to go to court, and you’re okay.”
He didn’t answer, just looked away. And still, that knot in my stomach wouldn’t untangle. I knew my brother. Better than anyone. And something about him felt off, and the last thing he needed was more trouble.
After a tense, awkward lunch, we parted ways with Christopher and headed back to Ford’s car. As soon as we slid inside, Ford glanced at me with concern.
“Everything okay?” he asked, his eyes searching my face.
I stared out the windshield, fingers twisting in my lap, debating how much to share.
It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Ford. It was that I hadn’t opened up about my family to anyone since Andrea and Madison came into my life.
I’d told Ford about my parents, but Christopher’s struggles were ours… private and complicated.
“Hopefully,” I finally said.
Ford started the car but didn’t start to drive. “Violet, I hope by now that I’m your friend. But I’m also your bodyguard. It’s literally my job to know about possible issues in your life that might affect your safety, even if that’s indirectly through your brother.”
I stared at him incredulously. “Seriously? That’s the card you’re going to pull?”
He arched a brow, mouth quirking. “I figured pulling the dom card wouldn’t work in this situation.”
“You’re damn right it wouldn’t.” I couldn’t help the small smile tugging at my lips. God, I hated how he did this to me, cutting through my defenses without even trying.
He put the car into gear and eased onto the street, and after a moment I sighed and relented.
“Christopher is a good kid but he’s had…
issues. Even Andrea doesn’t trust him. She thinks he takes advantage of me.
And…maybe he does. But all she’s seen is him showing up asking me for money. She wasn’t there during our childhood.”
“This isn’t my place, maybe, but you told me your father drove Andrea and her sister into debt,” he said, his tone even, but there was a gentleness and understanding to it, as well.
“Chase has mentioned to me that she still has issues about it, sometimes. I guess she had a panic attack once when she burned dinner?”
“Yeah.” I swallowed hard, remembering the conversation with Andrea when she’d returned from staying with Chase. “She can’t handle wasted food. For Andrea, that meant wasted money. And believe me, I get that.”
“I just wonder,” Ford said, eyes flicking briefly to me as he made a turn, “if maybe Andrea struggles to have patience with Christopher because she sees, in his relationship with you, a version of what her father did to her.”
I sat back, startled by his insight. “Shit.”
“Yeah.” His mouth curved into a small, knowing smile. “Sometimes you need an outside perspective.”
I shook my head. “Christopher isn’t like that…
” But from Andrea’s perspective? He might look like he was.
And Christopher might not even realize it.
He was still young, still blind to how his actions landed with other people.
“He has made mistakes, and I’ve been generous and forgiving.
Maybe more than some people would be. But he’s all I had, and even though I have Andrea and Madison now, I’m all he has. He's not close with them.”
“What kind of trouble did he get into?” Ford asked, his tone neutral, while his gaze bounced between the road and the rearview mirror.
“Petty crimes, breaking and entering, shoplifting. I’m pretty sure some of the guys he hung out with would steal cars for joyrides and Christopher would go along, but he never owned up to it.
He was never caught committing any of the crimes, thank god, so his record is clean, but it was a close call a few times.
He’s had to run from the cops more than once. ”
“That’s not exactly harmless,” Ford said, his tone even.
“He’s never hurt anyone,” I said quickly, feeling defensive on Christopher’s behalf. “He was grieving after mom died, angry and lost and ran with the wrong crowd of people. But he’s straightened himself out now. I’ve helped him financially so he wouldn’t turn back to crime. He’s been doing better.”
“But…” Ford prompted.
I stared down at my hands in my lap. “I don’t want to believe he’s fallen back into that crowd or mindset again.”
“He mentioned the parking ticket,” Ford said, his tone thoughtful, not accusatory. “And there’s something big going on at work. Those are legit worries.”
“Yeah.” I sighed. “And now he’s telling me he doesn’t want to go to community college anymore. That’s what’s bothering me so much. He was so excited about it. Now he’s just dismissing it completely.”
“Maybe he looked into it and realized it’s more than he’s ready for,” Ford said, merging into heavier traffic.
“College can be intimidating, especially when you’re already working.
The job he has now seems steady and familiar.
Sometimes people stick with what feels safe.
I can’t say I’m not concerned that what he’s going through might be something more than that, but it’s also fair to leave room for another possibility. ”
He paused as he turned left into my neighborhood, his gaze still taking in our surroundings as he talked.
“Look, I’m no therapist, but I work with a lot of people who’ve been through trauma.
Veterans, clients, even coworkers. I’ve seen how easy it is for someone to get triggered by something small, a reminder of a bad situation, and react in ways they don’t even understand. ”
“Like a car backfiring reminding you of a gunshot,” I said quietly.
“Yeah, that’s the obvious one.” His hands flexed on the wheel.
“But it’s usually emotional, not physical.
Someone forgets their wallet at lunch, offers to pay you back later, and suddenly it reminds you of an ex who always stiffed you on bills.
You’re not thinking logically, you just react.
Say something sharp, shut down, pull away.
It’s instinct. Maybe your brother’s the same. Maybe he’s just having a rough week.”
The lump in my throat was instant. That meant more to me than I could say. I hadn’t met anyone, not even Andrea, who’d supported me in forgiving Christopher or understanding why I still protected him.
Before I could stop them, tears filled my eyes and blurred my vision.
“Whoa.” Ford pulled up to the curb in front of my house and shut off the car. “Hey, you’re okay.”
“I know.” My voice cracked. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m crying.”
“Don’t apologize,” he said, reaching across the console to take my hand. “Just talk to me.”
“I’m sorry,” I said again, swiping away the falling tears with my free hand, embarrassed by my emotional response. “You just don’t think my brother is a fuck up.”
Ford blinked, looking surprised. “I mean…I don’t know him. It would be unfair for me to judge, really. Maybe you’re biased. But you’re also his sister. You know him better than anyone.”
A fresh wave of tears hit. I didn’t know what to do with all this support. With Ford’s steady presence and understanding. With the way he made me feel safe even when I didn’t want to depend on him.
Ford got out of the driver’s seat, rounded the car, and opened my door. Without a word, he reached for me.
And I let him.
I let him hug me, his arms closing around me like a warm promise. I allowed myself to lean into him for a moment because for once, it felt good not to be the strong one.