Chapter 10
ten
LOLA
One of the college-aged waiters had called while I was getting ready for school this morning, begging me to cover their shift. I figured the tips were worth one skipped day of class. And if I was honest, I'd jumped at the idea of avoiding Hendrix.
My feet ached from working a double, and my phone was dead. At least Chad had offered to give me a ride again.
The truck rolled to a stop at a red light, and I glanced over the console. "Thanks again for giving me a lift."
"No problem." Chad flashed a perfect smile at me from behind the wheel. A smile that was far too shiny for the filthy streets we passed through.
He didn't belong here. Did that mean that Gracie didn't belong here anymore, either? The thought stung, but I couldn't be mad about it. I didn't want my little sister to belong in Dayton. Hell, I didn't want to be anywhere near the place.
He turned off the dark highway, the wheels bumping over a pothole. "So… Stacey said Hunt came into the restaurant looking for you when you were on your break earlier. Wanted to know where you were."
I stilled. It shouldn't surprise me Hendrix knew where I worked. Bellamy came in with some Barrington girl the other day, pretending he didn't know who I was. But why in the hell would Hendrix be looking for me?
The neon light of Velma's whizzed by, and the realization crept over me. Hendrix had walked me home last night—to my mom's. He thought I lived there, and when I'd lived with her before, I did anything and everything to get out of that house. The only time I skipped school was when Mom had gotten drunk and given me a bruise I couldn't hide. She didn't want anyone calling social services and risk having Gracie and me taken away. Not because she cared. She just didn't want to lose the welfare checks she got for us.
The thought had a lump settling in my throat. He shouldn't care, not after everything.
"Look," Chad said, "I haven't been living here that long, but even I know Hunt's really bad news."
My attention snapped from the window to the driver's side of the truck, the glow of the dashboard highlighting the frown on Chad's face.
"You should stay away from him, Lola."
I fought a smile at the idea of Chad Lancaster warning me away from the big, bad Hendrix Hunt. I wasn't about to explain our deep and twisted bond, though. "I appreciate your concern, but I can handle Hendrix."
His lips pressed together like he wanted to say more, but he didn't. He just kept driving past overgrown yards and derelict houses until he came to a stop outside Kyle's house a few minutes later.
"Thanks for the ride," I said again, climbing out of the car.
"You're still coming to dinner tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah." Smiling, I closed the door and then watched him back out of the drive. I was still dreading the whole Barrington dinner thing, but I was excited to see Gracie again.
I used the spare key Kyle had given me to let myself inside, then dropped my backpack to the floor. The annoying music from the PlayStation resonated through the house, and when I rounded the living room doorway, I froze.
My gaze drifted from Kyle to Hendrix on the sofa beside him, game controller in hand. Given that he'd obviously been looking for me, I shouldn't have been surprised.
"I'm going to bed," Kyle paused the game, then shoved to his feet, his awkward-turtle ass about as subtle as a brick.
He scampered down the hall, leaving me alone with Hendrix. And alone, Hendrix's scrutiny was even more intense. I felt like an exposed nerve that he had a unique ability to home in on.
"I'm fine, Hendrix." I didn't have the energy to swim the turbulent waters of our screwed up…whatever this was. A shower and sleep were the only things I needed right now."Thanks for checking, though." We both knew it was a dismissal.
Sucking in a hard breath, he placed the controller on the coffee table and got up.
I felt like a complete dick, but it was necessary. This couldn't happen. We couldn't happen.
I was almost to the bathroom before the front door opened and closed. I wanted to chase him down and ask him why he still cared. For him to tell me that he still cared. This whole situation was far harder and more painful than I ever anticipated. And I never thought it would be easy.
I locked the bathroom door, turned on the shower, then stripped out of my work clothes. I'd just pulled the shower curtain closed when the lock to the door clicked.Someone had picked it. And I only knew one person who was that good at picking a lock…
"You don't live with your mom," Hendrix said, his voice barely audible over the sound of water hitting tile. "Why the fuck would you let me walk you home?"
His silhouette passed by the curtain, and I cut the shower. I was not having this conversation while I was naked.
I shoved my hand past the curtain, and he handed me a towel. "I don't have a home, Hendrix." Frustration bubbled within me as I wrapped the towel around my body, then yanked the curtain back.
Hendrix stood in front of the sink, his tattooed arms folded over his chest, blue stare aimed right at me. It felt like he could see all my worst weaknesses, and for the first time in my life, I didn't want him to. Defensiveness rose within me as I stared him down.
"Is that what you want to hear? That my choices are my bitch of a mother or Kyle's couch."
"Why didn't you just tell me you don't live there?"
"I didn't want you to know."
He straightened, pushing away from the vanity. "Why do you care?"
"Why do you care?"
His calloused fingers gripped my chin, forcing me to look at him. "I need to know you're okay."
I reveled in his concern and the gentleness of his touch, but I shouldn't have. I had to release him from whatever obligation had brought him here tonight.
Tightening my hold on the towel, I placed my free hand on his chest. "You don't have to look out for me anymore, Hendrix."
"I promised you, when I was eight years old, I'd never let anyone hurt you again…" He had, right after my mom had given me a black eye. Warm breath touched my cheek as he leaned in. Close and safe, the familiar smell of his skin a soothing balm. "And I don't break promises."
He gave the slightest tug to my chin, and like a planet being pulled to a black hole, hurtling toward its ultimate demise, I moved closer. His mouth pressed over mine, soft and reverent. That kiss was night and day compared to yesterday.
It was everything we'd been.
Everything I'd lost.
"Part of you will always be my girl, Lola." His hand dropped from my face, and he took a hesitant step back. "Even if you're not."
And with that, he turned and left.