Chapter 14
Athena ducked behind the house, pressed her body against the siding and slid down until she sat in the dirt. She covered her face with her hands as she pulled her legs up to her chest. Her heart raced faster than her legs ever would. Her pulse roared in her ears. She’d only ever kissed one guy, and he’d turned out to be the reason she never wanted to do that again.
Until today.
Why had she run?
Her face felt hot to the touch and she couldn’t make sense of what she was thinking or feeling. How could a moment feel so good and make her sick to her stomach at the same time? He hadn’t even kissed her! She’d actually run away, and he hadn’t done anything except lean forward slightly.
She released a groan that ended in a whimper. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go. How many times had she told herself that she wasn’t going to stay long enough to get attached? As days turned into weeks, she’d allowed herself to grow soft.
The old Athena wouldn’t have stuck around for more than seventy-two hours, she reminded herself. She would have slipped away, taking what she could carry and disappearing into the night.
There was no reason to stay.
Except there was.
Athena leaned her head against the building and stared up at the sky. Over the last few weeks, she’d watched Henry with his family. She’d felt the comfort of being in his presence. He cared about her. While she’d managed to convince herself that he was just being a good guy, she couldn’t be entirely surprised when she saw him leaning closer.
Regret doused the heat and her blood turned cold.
She’d run from him! What was he going to think now? She knew what he was going to think. He was going to assume that she didn’t like him and he’d moved too fast, that’s what.
Another groan slipped from between her lips. What was she supposed to do now?
Nothing, that voice in her head insisted. She couldn’t do anything because if she got even more attached than she already was, she’d end up broken-hearted in the end.
And what if he turned out to be like her ex? David had been sweet in the beginning. He’d gotten her clothes and helped her find a place to stay. He’d bought her gifts and even found a few places that would give her an interview for employment.
Only, in the end, he had wanted more than she was willing to give, and when she made that clear…
Athena shut her eyes tight, warding off the memories. She couldn’t think about that right now. At any second, Henry could show up and demand to know what had gotten into her. He could accuse her of leading him on.
He wouldn’t be wrong. At least that’s what she’d learned. If a girl gave a guy a hug, it meant she was interested. She’d opened herself up for that.
“You okay?”
Athena’s hand flew to cover her mouth and she turned wide eyes toward the porch to her left. Harley stood at the edge, her arms resting on the railing. She tilted her head slightly as she stared down at Athena. “You look like you could use someone to talk to.”
Athena swallowed the bile that had risen in her throat and set her eyes forward, ignoring Harley’s penetrating gaze. “I’m fine.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Scowling, Athena wrapped her arms around her legs and pulled them tighter to her chest. “I don’t know what you want me to say, but it’s not gonna happen.”
Harley snickered. “I used to be like you, you know?”
Athena huffed. “I heard enough about you to know that’s not true.”
Another laugh. “Have you now? What have you heard?”
“That you come from a wealthy family, and you moved out here to be closer to your uncle. He doesn’t have kids and you’re sorta the one who will continue his legacy.” When Athena glanced upward, she noted the way Harley’s lips pursed and the way she tilted her head as if considering what Athena had said.
“Not bad.”
Exactly. Athena wasn’t an idiot. People with money and a family would never be able to relate to her. The only ones who had come close were the Keagans and only because they had to raise themselves. But even they had each other to lean on.
“Except I bet Henry didn’t tell you the whole story. He couldn’t have. Mason isn’t exactly the sort to share that part of my life.”
Athena craned her neck to stare at Harley, her curiosity piqued.
“You see, my mother has to be the strictest person you would ever meet. She had expectations for me from the moment I was conceived. I had to go to the best schools, get the highest grades, graduate with the highest honors, and marry someone of status.” She dipped her focus to Athena. “Bet you can guess how that turned out.”
Athena’s eyes swept over Harley as if seeing her for the first time. From her pink hair to the tattoos, to the piercings, Harley was the epitome of a woman who refused to adhere to anyone’s expectations.
Harley released a sad laugh. “We’ve come a long way since the time when she sent me out here and threatened to keep my own trust fund from me. She even tried the arranged marriage route. But in the end, I had to make my own decisions. I had to take my own risks. I had to decide if it was worth walking away from a life I knew for something that might be better.” Her eyes narrowed as she stared hard at Athena. “Does that make sense?”
Shaking her head, Athena huffed. “I have no idea what the point of that story is where it pertains to me.”
“No, I don’t suppose you would. We come from very different worlds.”
“How would you know?” Athena snapped.
“One look at you and I can tell that you push everyone away. It gets lonely, doing that, you know. At the same time, it’s terrifying to let someone—anyone—get closer to you.”
She wasn’t wrong about that.
Harley continued, squinting as she stared off at something Athena couldn’t see. “The thing is, if you want to be happy, you have to allow yourself to let people in. It’s not as bad as you think. Trusting people is hard, but the risks outweigh the benefits. Take it from me…” She leaned back, holding onto the rail as she let out a groan. “Happiness finds you when you least expect it.” She flashed Athena a smile. “Don’t let your preconceived notions of how you think the world should be prevent you from attaining something you never thought possible.”
Athena wrinkled her nose, watching Harley disappear inside. What was that supposed to mean anyway? She might think she knew what was going through Athena’s head, but she didn’t.
Were there moments when Athena wanted to believe this could be her new home? Sure, but those moments were quickly and easily overshadowed by the fact that she would never belong. This place was filled with people who knew how to band together.
What did Athena know how to do?
Run.
Just like she’d run from that near kiss.
She sighed, burying her face in her knees. That’s all she was good for.
Athena had run from her foster life. She’d run from an abusive boyfriend. And she continued running because that was all she knew. She checked to make sure no one was around, then she rose to her feet and hurried inside. She couldn’t face Henry after what had happened. She needed a break to be able to clear her head. And that was what she planned to do.
* * *
Athena hid awayin her room, fully aware that she was missing supper. As much as she wanted to join everyone downstairs, she couldn’t bring herself to leave her official sanctuary. Henry would be down there.
She was actually surprised that he hadn’t come up to check on her. If he did, she wasn’t sure what she’d do. Just the thought of having to face him made her heart race all over again. This kind of vulnerability wasn’t something she had ever thought she would experience. All the barriers she’d put in place had been to avoid the unknown—to avoid someone like Henry.
Maybe this was all an overreaction. Athena stared at the closed door, tempted to just go downstairs and pretend that nothing had happened. Clearly, that was what Henry was doing.
A knock on the door ripped her from her thoughts. Her whole body went stiff. Whoever it was hadn’t said a word. That could only mean it was one person. No one else would just stand out there after knocking.
When they didn’t knock again, Athena moved to the door slowly so no one would hear her footsteps. Her hand gripped the doorknob lightly. Turning the knob, she held her breath. Whoever was on the other side of this door would likely insist that she join them for dinner. This was her chance. She could stop running. That’s what she wanted, wasn’t it?
Athena pulled the door open, then paused in confusion. The hallway was empty. She poked her head out and looked in both directions. Whoever had knocked hadn’t bothered to stay—unless they were hiding in an open doorway close by. Her feet shuffled forward, connecting with something hard.
She gasped, her eyes darting down to find a tray with a plate filled with her dinner.
Emotion bubbled up in her throat and she dropped to her haunches to get a good look at it. A chicken breast, mashed potatoes, corn, and a small salad. Stomach growling and mouthwatering, she glanced out into the hallway again even though she knew that Henry wasn’t going to be anywhere nearby.
He was giving her space.
Henry was a lot of things—and much too good for her.
Heart aching, she reached for the tray and retreated into her room. Seated on the floor, she picked at her food, allowing herself to take her time and revel in the flavors of everything that Henry had picked out for her.
The potatoes melted in her mouth, softer than they deserved to be. The chicken was so flavorful that she moaned with delight. Had she been eating downstairs with everyone, she might not have taken her time to experience every nuance of the meal. Henry would never understand what he had given her by bringing her meal to her room.
Well, this was just great. There was now one more reason for her to want to stay. And this reason was the biggest one yet.
Henry.
He was the closest thing she had to a family, and he didn’t even know it.
She couldn’t just let this be the way things came to a sudden stop when it hadn’t even gotten started yet. Her body warmed and a nervous smile touched her lips. Perhaps Henry would be the first person who could make her stop running. Perhaps he was the person she’d waited her whole life to meet.
And if he wasn’t?
Then there would be nothing stopping her from leaving again. Easy as that.
Athena took in a deep, shuddering breath and released it. Now was not the time. She couldn’t just track him down and tell him everything she’d realized in the last hour.
No, she’d wait until they could have a quiet moment together.