Chapter 6
Using her voice for the first time was a shock to her system—one she wasn’t prepared for even though she’d experienced it before. Athena wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d lost it all together. The tone and cadence sounded almost foreign. Thankfully her voice had been strong. She’d sounded sure of herself.
Unfortunately, the longer she sat beside him during their little ride, the more antsy she became. She stretched out her legs and stared at her shoes, tapping her toes together a couple times before she turned her focus out the window.
If she’d been honest with herself, she would have confessed that she could use some new clothes. She used to have a backpack with everything she needed, but it had been stolen one day while she was sleeping. Within it had been a change of clothes, some necessities, and what little cash she’d managed to save.
Without it, she felt naked. She wasn’t sure when or if she’d get an opportunity to replace it. Perhaps this was God’s way of making that happen and she’d been too stubborn to accept it. Athena shot a quick look in Henry’s direction. From the looks of it, his family seemed to be doing okay. He could probably afford to help her out.
That was her pride getting in the way again. She should have just accepted his offer without brushing him off. This was just one of the many reasons why she had told herself that talking to people was a bad idea. She’d put her foot in her mouth and now she couldn’t backtrack.
She hadn’t planned on staying put here, but the more that she thought about it, the more she realized she didn’t have any means to leave Copper Creek—not unless she wanted to resort to stealing money.
Nope, that wasn’t going to happen. She drew the line at money. Technically, she didn’t consider herself a thief, either. Everything she’d eaten or collected had usually been discarded. She prided herself on finding things she could use that weren’t actually trash.
Except for these shoes. These terrible shoes were the only things she’d been desperate enough to put on her feet. They kept her feet protected from the elements, but that was about it. These awful pieces of leather made her feet hurt and created issues when it came to escaping like she’d attempted to do the night before.
A nice pair of tennis shoes would do the trick. Or maybe some work boots. As long as they fit her feet and they could be broken in, she’d be happy. She’d stay one more night—two at the most—and then she’d take her things and leave. Or she’d get Henry to drop her off in the city. That was the best place for her to get some money. As long as she didn’t stay on one corner too long, she could ask for donations and maybe replenish a portion of what she’d lost.
“You okay?” Henry’s quiet voice pulled her from her planning, and she shot another look in his direction.
Athena nodded.
He sighed and when her brows furrowed at his reaction, he sighed again. “Please tell me you’re not starting that again, are you?”
She didn’t look at him. It wasn’t hard for her to understand exactly what he was talking about.
“You’re being ridiculous. This whole not talking when we’ve already spoken.”
“I don’t feel the need to have a conversation,” she muttered.
“Why not?”
“Contrary to popular belief, sometimes it’s nice to just sit in the quiet.”
He laughed. “You don’t really believe that.”
“And what would you know about what I believe?” she demanded. “I’ve been living my life in a very specific way, and I run into fewer problems when I don’t bombard others with words.”
Henry snorted. “And just how exactly does staying quiet actually help? How are you supposed to get what you need? What if there’s an emergency? There’s a reason why people developed languages all over the world.”
She shook her head. “I never expected you to understand.”
“So, help me understand. How is remaining silent good for anyone?”
“Well, first of all, I don’t annoy anyone with my constant babbling.”
His eyes widened and for a moment she wondered if he’d pull his truck over and demand for her to exit the vehicle. But then he threw his head back and let out a loud laugh. “Burn! I knew you were capable, but I underestimated how ruthless you could be. You’re referring to me, aren’t you? I talk too much. That’s what you’re trying to tell me.”
Athena shrugged.
“Okay, what else? Lay it on as thick as you want, because I’ve got an argument for every single one you throw at me.”
She stilled, not expecting this turn of events. Then she turned to face him. “Okay, what about safety? The more someone talks, the more you get to know them.”
“That’s sorta the point, isn’t it?”
“Not if you’re someone like me who wants to maintain a certain amount of…”
“Intrigue?”
“No,” she drawled. “Inconspicuousness. I don’t know if you understand this, but someone in my position needs to be extremely careful about what they share and with whom. People don’t exactly take too kindly to people like me.”
“People like you? Do you mean people who have clawed their way through life, not only trying to take care of themselves but succeeding and all without a support system?”
She gaped at him. No one had ever put what she was into those words. The way he made it sound, she was some kind of hero. That description was something a person could be proud of. “Do you really think that?” she whispered so low she wasn’t sure he’d hear her.
“Why wouldn’t I? You’re not so anonymous, you know that, right? I noticed you the second you showed up for the wedding.”
He had? Of course, he had. Why else would he track her down in the barn and try to make her take a drink? He’d probably watched her scarf down all that food, too.
Athena placed both hands over her face and groaned. How embarrassing.
“It’s not a bad thing.” As reassuring as Henry made his voice sound, she couldn’t believe him. She’d heard every name in the book. The homeless in this country were a scourge—a plague that needed to be eradicated. Ironically, most of the folks she ran into preferred the solitary and minimalistic lifestyle. Many of them chose this path.
Now, would she like to have a home and a family to care for her? Ideally, sure. She could understand the draw something like that had. She’d seen the happily wedded couple last night. There was a reason people seemed to collide and start living their lives together.
Realistically?
Athena knew better. There wasn’t a guy on this planet who would want to put up with her baggage. Getting close to someone only ensured one thing.
Heartache.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Will you stop asking me that?” Already she could feel this connection between them strengthening as if against her will. She liked some of the things he’d said, and she wanted to hear more.
Then she had to remind herself it was nothing but an ego boost. Henry didn’t care about her. He might be infatuated with the idea of helping her. He might even be a legitimately good guy. But he would never stick around or fight to be in the life of someone like her. She was a lone wolf who didn’t know how to be with people.
Something soft touched her arm and she jumped, all but pressing her body against the window and away from Henry. “Don’t touch me,” she seethed.
Pain flitted in his brown eyes so plainly that she couldn’t deny the guilt that immediately flooded her stomach. “I didn’t mean any offense. I just thought it would be nice to get to know you better.”
“See? This is what I was talking about,” she shot back. “Talking. It ruins everything. We were having a nice drive and now you’re apologizing and I’m on edge.”
“You’re blaming conversation on what’s happening right now?”
“There’s nothing else I can blame,” she said plainly. “The second we started talking, we got into an argument. What do you think is the cause?”
His eyes darted to her a couple times before returning to the road. “I think that you’ve been on the road for so long, you’ve forgotten what it’s like to spend time with someone who might genuinely have your best interest at heart.”
She scoffed. “I’ve never met anyone who’s had my best interest at heart.”
“I find that hard to believe,” Henry said. “There has to be at least one. What about your folks?”
Athena scowled. “You definitely don’t want to look under that stone.”
“Why? Were you abused?”
“By my parents? No. And before you ask, I’ll tell you. I have no idea where they are. I have no idea why they had me. And best of all, I have no clue who they are.”
Henry’s head snapped around to stare at her, but then he was forced to return his gaze to the road. “You don’t know your parents?”
“Weren’t you listening? No. I was found on the side of the road when I was three years old. No one knew what to do with me, so I bounced around from foster home to foster home. As a kid, I was pushed around. When I got older, I was used as a free babysitter. You can bet one hundred percent that the second I turned eighteen, I was out of there.” Athena stared out the window. Back then, her name had been Kira. She hated that name with every fiber of her being. No matter how many names she told people, she never used that one.
As far as she was concerned, that name had been given to her by the first foster family and wasn’t even who she really was. Picking her own name had been the first act of defiance she could make. Only a few select people knew her by this name, and she intended on keeping it that way.
“I’m so sorry, Sam,” Henry whispered. “That sounds awful.”
“Don’t be. You weren’t the one who caused that pain. Just be grateful you were able to grow up in a big loving family like the one you got.”
He chuckled and she stared hard at him.
“I fail to see why that statement was funny.”
Henry shook his head. “It’s not. Not really. It’s just that…” He glanced at her sideways. “My parents abandoned all of us when my baby sister was still in diapers. They just… took off.”
Her eyes widened. For the first time in a long time, she was speechless, and it wasn’t by choice. He had to be lying to make her feel better about her own situation. That was the only thing that made sense. But the longer she looked at him, the more she had to admit that he didn’t appear to be lying. She was normally very good at picking up on a person’s tall tale.
Henry wasn’t bluffing.
And if he was, then he was the best liar she’d ever met.
He peeked at her and chuckled again. “I suppose we have a couple things in common. I mean, I guess I know who my folks are. I just don’t consider them my parents—not anymore.” His eyes got this far-off look as his thoughts shifted—probably to the memory of his folks.
He’d been abandoned just like she had been. But lucky for him, he had all his siblings to help keep their family together.
She’d been alone.
Henry was right about something else.
They did have more in common than she realized.