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Victor stuffed the credit card back in his wallet. “He left too soon.”
“Maybe he’s smarter than both of us,” she quipped.
“I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said about me,” Hobbs joined in.
“Probably,” Delaney agreed.
Tabitha watched the exchange in silence, but with a little smile on her lips. Her gaze connected with Hobbs as Victor declined a bag and receipt. He slid the gloves right on and flexed his fingers.
“You doing okay?” Hobbs said, while Delaney and Victor headed to the back room to see the ’33. Wyatt followed along beside them, with Victor stroking the dog’s head and using a thousand more words than he usually did on any given day.
“Yeah.” Tabitha smiled a little more. “Thanks.”
“That guy was out of line,” Hobbs offered. Maybe she didn’t want to talk about it, based on her reaction from earlier, but Hobbs thought it important to say out loud. “Nobody has the right to touch you like that. I was planning on punching him in the face, before Victor butted in.”
Then her smile fell. She chewed around on something before finally speaking. “My chaplain in Afghanistan used to grab me like that all the time. Always when no one was looking, of course. Sometimes even at night, when I was trying to sleep.” Her voice got a little laugh in it that was completely humorless. “I never knew when he was coming. It was—” Tabitha’s voice thickened, like her words got stuck in her throat “—horrible.”
Hobbs stayed quiet, because almost anything that crossed his mind seemed violent and not particularly helpful. He knew what it was like to be terrified of someone bigger than you, someone in charge. He knew how useless authority could be, how alone and helpless it made you feel.
“I’m not sure which is worse, though.” Tabitha’s voice softened. “The grabbing or the attitude. Like we’re just supposed to put up with it. Almost like we’re supposed to be flattered. Or even grateful.” Her tone turned bitter. “And since I was his assistant, I was literally in charge of keeping him safe. Guarding his life.”
“And you’re all on your own,” Hobbs added, without thinking. “Nobody to help you, in no small part because you’re ashamed in the first place that you need help. Asking for help is seen as weakness. And nobody wants to be weak.”
“Exactly.” They stared at each other for a long time. A flicker ran through Tabitha’s molasses eyes and her head cocked to the side, just like when she’d been studying Victor earlier.
“Well. That guy was way out of line,” Hobbs said. “Nobody’s allowed to treat you like that. Not even if you’re on the job.”
Another long silence passed. Tabitha’s fingers were tremulous on Trinity’s head. She closed her eyes for a second. When she opened them again, she sniffed deeply, sighed and said, “I didn’t know your brother was here. Is that why you’re going home? Everything okay?”
Hobbs shrugged. He didn’t know how to answer that.
But Tabitha, she didn’t react like a lot of people did. Something Hobbs learned more and more every time he was around her. The type of person who didn’t think Victor was weird for needing to find the evaporated milk all by himself was the same type of person who seemed to sense that Hobbs didn’t want to talk about home right now. And she just let it go. “When will you be back from Omaha?” was all she said.
“Trust me,” Hobbs said as he glanced in Victor’s direction and saw he was making his manners and heading toward the door. “As quickly as possible. Victor’s riding his bike and I’m driving my truck. I can escape whenever I want.”
She smiled a little. “See you soon, then.”
As they left, Hobbs realized he wasn’t really annoyed anymore that Victor had wanted to stop at the bike shop. Despite the heaviness of his conversation with Tabitha, the sun seemed a little brighter. Even though the road was long, and the destination no prize, Hobbs had a tiny spring in his step that hadn’t been there this morning.
