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“That’s a shit thing to say to your kid.” He didn’t realize he’d spoken aloud until she nodded.
“Not everyone has a mom like yours. Some of us end up with parents who’ve given up on life, and they’re selfish about it. They want their kids to give up too so they don’t feel so alone. They have a hard time accepting the fact their offspring want something better. That their kids deserve something better.”
“What about your dad?”
Her expression changed. Her eyes deepened. Her mouth tightened. And the pain he saw, however briefly, was tempered by anger.
“I never met him.”
Now, Nash wasn’t a sheltered kid. There were those in his community who were unfortunate. Kids he’d gone to school with. Hell, Mackenzie Draper was regularly beaten by his dad, and everyone knew it. But the rawness in Honey’s voice touched something inside him. He wanted to know more.
“And the vines up your back?” He remembered them climbing her skin. Delicate etchings that encircled her spine from the base all the way up to her shoulder blades.
“Hidden in the leaves are the names of the places I want to visit someday. Barrow was the first one.”
“Barrow?” He was confused.
“Barrow, Alaska.”
“Anchorage, I could wrap my head around.” He watched her closely. “But Barrow? I’m willing to bet most people have never heard of the place.”
“You’re probably right.”
“So what’s the reason? Why pick Barrow as a destination spot?”
“When I was in grade five, I asked my teacher what the farthest city in the US was from where we were, and she looked at a map and told me Barrow.”
He thought about that. Then pictured the cute little girl she must have been. Nash wondered about the mindset in a girl that young who wanted to go as far away from home as she could.
“Did you ever make it to Barrow?” he asked.
“Not yet.”
He thought of that tattoo. “You been to any of the places on your back?”
“A few,” she replied.
“You gonna name them?”
“Crystal Lake.”
He wasn’t sure if she was serious or not and decided she was pulling his leg. “Where are you headed next?”
“Who says I’m going anywhere?”
His eyebrows shot up. She was definitely pulling his leg. “This town isn’t your end game.”
“You don’t know me,” she retorted.
“I know you better than you think.” He took a pull from the cold beer he’d set down.
“Really.”
He nodded. “You push people away because you don’t want anyone to know you.”
“You’re probably right.” Her voice was light, and a soft smile tugged at her generous mouth. She cocked her head to the side. “Why aren’t you married?”
Okay. That was outta left field. “Why aren’t you?” he shot back.
