Six

SIX

Josie

Thirty minutes.

It had been thirty whole minutes of the most unbearable interaction I'd ever experienced with Huck Davidson.

I'd always known him to be nothing but a sweet, kind, and compassionate man. I'd never, not once, seen him angry.

Not like this.

Sure, when he'd learned the truth about what was happening in my home life with my father when I was in high school, it was clear Huck wasn't exactly happy.

But this wasn't the same.

This was… this was unlike anything I'd ever seen.

And if I was honest, I wasn't entirely sure Huck fully understood what he was feeling, either.

Despite the heightened emotions on both sides of the table, Huck seemed to be doing a good job of restraining himself. One thing I could say with absolute certainty was that even if Huck was experiencing some level of anger about the situation, there wasn't an ounce of it aimed at me. We were sitting with some tension between us—it was rolling off Huck in waves—but I didn't fear for my safety. I never felt that way around him, something I knew I'd be eternally grateful for.

What I hated about this was knowing that I'd done this to Huck. Ultimately, I had wanted to seek his help and get some self-defense training to be proactive about keeping myself safe, but I didn't see a way to do that without Kurt cottoning on. Not only was time a factor in the equation, but money was an issue, too. A big issue, in fact. Every dollar I was able to keep out of my tips had to be set aside for my move out of his place. It was more necessary now than ever.

Now, I was sitting here with Huck, and we had finished our pies in the tense, awkward silence. The fact that I wound up here was a problem. I'd told myself two days ago that I couldn't allow myself to continue getting distracted by Huck, and yet, I caved within seconds of seeing him again.

It was difficult not to, though. For me, he was like the sunlight peeking out from behind the dark clouds on a stormy day. It might have been the start of summer, but it had been a long time since I'd seen the sun.

The decision I'd made a couple of days ago to keep myself away from Huck until I could get away from Kurt had all been a means of self-preservation. It was a rash decision in the heat of a torturous moment. Obviously, I couldn't stop Huck from coming into the diner, but I did have a choice when it came to letting thoughts of him invade my mind or agreeing to sit and have pie with him.

The smarter thing to do today would have probably been to decline the invitation. I had been prepared to do just that. But then it hit me. At the end of the day, if Kurt decided he was going to kill me, I figured it was better to have had some special moments with Huck before it happened.

That didn't mean I wanted things to get to that point. I planned to do everything I could to save myself from a fate like that. But on the off chance I got it wrong, at least if I enjoyed some pie with Huck, not everything in my life would have been disappointing.

So, I went against the rule I'd made and decided to have pie with him. I just wished things had gone better between us.

Because now I had to leave. I couldn't stay much longer and still make it home on time to cook dinner before Kurt returned from work. But I didn't want to leave things like this with Huck.

I lifted my mug of tea to my lips one last time and took a sip. I told myself I needed it to soothe my painfully tight throat, but the truth was that I did it to stall.

As soon as I set the mug down, I began nervously playing with the handle of it and lamented, "I'm sorry."

Curiosity washed over his expression. "What are you apologizing for?"

"You invited me to join you for pie, and it was supposed to be nice. I wanted it to be nice. But my situation ruined it, and I'm so embarrassed," I explained, dropping my gaze to the table.

Huck reached his arm across the table and covered my hand with his. My eyes shot to his as the warmth and comfort of his gentle touch seeped in. He had such an adoring look on his face. "You have nothing to feel ashamed about, and I do not need or want an apology from you, Josie. Not for this."

"But this was ruined," I noted. "I'm sure you didn't come here intending to sit in this awkward space with me."

His hand offered a reassuring squeeze before his thumb began stroking over the skin on the back of my hand. It was something so simple, but to me, it meant the world. It was the sweetest gesture. I wasn't sure I knew it was possible for a man to be so gentle, but I should have known that if anyone could be that way, it would be Huck.

"I think you're underestimating me. I'd be willing to sit in a lot of spaces with you, especially the ones that might be a bit uncomfortable for you," he revealed.

God, he made it impossible not to get emotional. Huck stood for everything I wanted in my life, everything I hoped I could eventually have one day. Tears filled my eyes, and I tipped my head to the side. "I don't know what to say," I rasped. "But I have to go, and I just don't want to leave here feeling like you're upset with me."

"I could never be upset with you, honey. That's a promise I can make to you."

And there was that.

Huck called me honey, and it felt as though he'd handed me the whole world, especially when the softness in his voice matched the tenderness in his touch.

Before I could summon the courage to respond, Huck spoke again. "I don't know how I can do this, though."

"Do what?"

He hesitated to respond, his eyes roaming over my face in a way it seemed as though he was attempting to memorize it for fear he'd never seen me again. There was a hopeless desperation lingering there. "Please don't make me watch you go back to him. I'm begging you to let me help you."

The sound of his voice was ragged; it nearly undid me. And he'd gone from gently stroking his thumb over the skin on the back of my hand to holding on to it like it was as crucial to his survival as food and water.

I didn't know what to say. I didn't know what to do.

Huck wasn't finished. His tortured voice continued, "I've been sitting here in this silence, trying to come up with a plan to convince you not to go back there. No less than a dozen thoughts have crossed my mind about how to make that happen. But after what you've been through, I don't want to be the man who drags you out of here against your will to force you to do something you're not ready to do."

I could have cried. It would have been easy to burst into tears at just how well Huck understood what I needed. At the same time, I didn't want him to think I didn't appreciate what he was saying, or that I didn't agree with it.

"I am ready," I assured him. "If it was possible, I would have been out long before you even walked into this diner."

"It is possible. Please, Josie, please let me help you," he begged.

Pain had leaked into every single one of Huck's features. He was feeling tortured by this, and it was me who was inflicting this pain on him.

What was wrong with me?

Why was I okay with doing this to him? Why was I okay doing this to myself?

Up until now, I didn't have any other option. Now, I did.

Huck was sitting right in front of me, staring me in the face, and begging me to let him help. If I didn't take him up on his offer, maybe I deserved to suffer the consequences.

I thought it would be best to get some clarification. "How would this work?"

His fingers twitched against my hand, which he had refused to let go of, and a look of genuine surprise littered his expression. "Are you asking how it's possible? You want to know how I'd help you get out now?"

I nodded. "Yes."

Some of the tension he'd been carrying in his shoulders eased as they fell slightly. "It's simple, really. I'll take you home with me and give you a place to stay, where you'll be safe."

"I can't move in with you, Huck," I said.

"Why not? You're living with someone who doesn't think twice about putting his hands on you. I can promise you my place is a whole lot better than where you are now," he returned.

I shook my head. "I'm not disagreeing with you on that. I just… I don't want to disrupt your life."

Huck shot me a dubious look. "Honey, if you think my life isn't already disrupted knowing I made the biggest mistake of my life to walk away from you years ago, you're wrong. Let me fix this. Let me make this right."

My lips parted as something squeezed in my chest. Did he really believe he made the biggest mistake of his life by walking away from me years ago? What did he mean by that?

I spent too much time trying to come up with answers that Huck made me another offer. "Look, if that's too much for you right now, then let me help you out by giving you whatever money you need to get yourself set up somewhere else. If you'd like to just get a hotel temporarily, that's fine, too. One of my coworkers is with the owner of Short and Sweet, the tiny home hotel community here in Steel Ridge. Of course, I'd rather have you with me for a bit, just until we know how your fiancé intends to react. I don't know what kind of resources he has to locate you, but I don't think he's the kind of man who's simply going to accept you've left."

"I can't take your money, Huck. I just can't do that."

His eyes were pleading with mine when he urged, "Then just stay with me for a bit. I've got a spare bedroom, so you'll have a comfortable and safe place to stay. You can then work whatever shifts you need to work to save the rest of the money necessary for your own place. I don't care how long it takes, and I promise you won't be an inconvenience."

I stared at him in silence for a long time, time I didn't have to waste if I was going to make it back to Kurt's place to make dinner.

Was that the reason I was ready to blurt out my agreement? Or was it something else?

This was strange, no doubt. I had been working and saving for something that felt like it was an eternity away, but now I was being given an option to make it happen much earlier than I had anticipated.

It was terrifying in one sense—this was what I'd known all my life, and I couldn't quite imagine anything different—but I had Huck standing in front of me, ready to help, to get me to a place I always dreamed could exist for me one day. He was the only reason I could even wrap my head around why I felt an odd sense of calm.

"Okay."

Huck's brows shot up. "Okay? You're going to do it?"

It might have been crazy, but I didn't think I could regret this decision. I nodded. "Yes. I just need to be able to get my things out of the house. I don't have a ton of things, but I have some stuff there. And I would like to be able to keep it."

"I understand that. Do you need help moving it?"

Shaking my head, I answered, "No. No, it's nothing big like that. I'll just need to pack a bag tomorrow after he leaves in the morning for work."

"Tomorrow?"

"Is that too soon?"

"I'm thinking it's too late. Why not now?"

I glanced up at the clock. "It's getting late. I don't have much time left to get home and make dinner. I won't be able to pack up everything before he gets home, so I just thought it'd be better for me to pretend like everything is normal tonight, and in the morning, since I don't have to work tomorrow, I can take my time, pack up, and leave without fear of being caught in the process."

Huck wore a look that indicated he was not thrilled with my plan. "What if?—"

"I've done this for years, Huck. One more night isn't going to kill me," I said.

"Do you have a phone?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Do you have it with you?"

"Yes."

"I want you to save my number in there," he said. "Save it in your phone as anything you want that won't tip him off. But I want you to be able to call me if something happens between now and the time you get out of there."

I pulled out my phone and held it out to him. Huck tapped his number in and handed it back to me. I saved him under the contact ‘H' and dropped my phone back into my bag as I said, "You seem concerned."

"Because I'm worried about you."

"Would it help if I reached out to you between now and then?" I asked.

"Could you do that?"

I nodded. "As long as you don't respond, I could send you a text tonight before I go to bed to let you know I'm okay, and I could send another in the morning. I'll just delete them from my phone as soon as they are sent."

"Okay. Okay, yeah. If you do that, it would help tremendously. But don't do it if it's not safe for you to do."

I smiled at him, feeling such an appreciation for the man he was. "I'll be okay, Huck.''

He reached down into his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and dropped some cash on the table for Lori. Then, he grabbed the bill she'd dropped off to us somewhere near the end of our pie consumption and slid out of the seat. He stood beside the table and held his hand out to me.

I took it and eased myself out.

"Careful," he urged quietly.

Once I got myself upright again, we moved to the front of the diner, where Huck paid the bill.

As soon as we stepped outside, I said, "Thank you for inviting me to join you for pie and for treating."

"You're welcome, Josie. Thanks for joining me. Where are you parked?"

I swallowed hard. "I walked."

"You walked?"

I nodded. "We sold my car. So, I usually walk or take the bus. I've been walking, so I don't have to spend the money on the bus."

He let out a frustrated sigh and jerked his head to the side. "I'll give you a ride home. And tomorrow, I'll pick you up when you're ready."

"You don't mind?"

"I think you already know the answer to that question. Come on, I'm parked across the street."

Huck and I stepped out into the street and crossed. We hadn't completely gotten to the sidewalk on the other side when my keys fell. "Oh, shoot."

"I've got it," Huck said, bending down and picking them up before I could figure out how I was going to manage the same with the pain in my ribs.

When he held them out to me, I smiled at him and said, "Thanks."

He returned the smile, making me feel the best I had about this time I'd had with him. I was so relieved we no longer had that tension surrounding us.

In a flash, everything changed.

Huck and I heard the squealing of tires close by, and we turned our heads to see a car flying down the street toward us. I was stuck, rooted to the spot, watching as the car barreled in our direction, but Huck was a man of action.

Without delay, he wrapped his arms around my body, spun me around, and leaped out of the way, my body becoming pinned between his and a parked truck.

I winced in pain and let out a scream as the car went speeding past us.

Huck kept his body positioned protectively around mine, but he eased his weight off of me. "Jesus. Fuck, Josie, I didn't mean to hurt you. That guy was flying. Are you okay?"

Nodding, I shrugged. "I'm not dead, so I guess I'm alright."

"Are you sure?"

He was so worried. I placed my palm on his chest, felt the solid muscle beneath my fingertips, and promised, "I'm okay."

For the next few seconds, neither one of us moved. We stayed where we were, staring into each other's eyes. We didn't say a word, but that didn't mean I wasn't attempting to communicate with Huck, as he seemed to be doing the same with me. It was the single best moment of my life, being so close to him.

Snapping myself out of the daydream, I said, "We should go."

He blinked his eyes and shook his head as though attempting to rid his mind of whatever thoughts were running through it. "Yeah. Yeah, let's go."

The truck we were leaning against happened to be Huck's, so we rounded it, and he opened the door for me.

A few minutes later, we had pulled up outside my current residence. Huck exited the truck, came around to open my door, and helped me out. "Thank you for the ride."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Josie."

A wave of anxiety mixed with a hint of excitement moved through me. Huck was going to see me tomorrow. I was finally going to have a chance to live a normal life. I only needed to get through just a few more hours, and I'd finally be free.

"Yes. I think you should expect a call from me sometime around late morning. Maybe between ten or eleven. Will that work for you? If not, I will catch the bus and meet you somewhere."

"I'll be here."

Unsure what else to do, I offered a small smile and a nod in return. "Goodbye, Huck."

"Later, Josie."

Huck stood beside his truck as I walked away and toward the front door. Only after I'd unlocked the door, stepped inside, and turned around to wave at him did he finally move. He waved back, rounded his vehicle, and drove off.

I let out a huge sigh of relief.

It was finally going to happen. I had a plan, and Huck Davidson was going to help me get my life back on track.