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“I’m sorry,” Hobbs said, his brain still mush.
“Why are you sorry?” Tabitha arched an eyebrow. “I kissed you.”
“Well, I don’t mean I’m sorry. I just mean that I—”
“What do you mean, exactly?”
Hobbs scrubbed a hand over his face, then through his hair. “I don’t know.”
“Now who’s the one pushing time around?”
“What?”
Tabitha smirked, but it was joyless. “You told me once, at Open Hour at the gym, that I was just pushing time around. Just kind of fumbling and making excuses. You were right. And you’re doing the same thing now.”
Hobbs parted his lips to protest, even though she was absolutely right.
“Excuse me.”
They both whipped their heads around to see Sean, standing at the end of the aisle. He looked like he might’ve been trying to get their attention for a second or two.
“I’ve got what I need from your sister.” Sean held up his pad. “There’s not a whole lot I can do, but I will look into this guy. His background and his movements. If nothing else, it might make Hannah feel better to know someone is keeping an eye.”
“Great.” Hobbs and Tabitha spoke in unison. They glanced at each other, their faces guilty. Not only was Sean no idiot, he was a detective.
Sean pointed over his shoulder. “I’ll be out here.” He tapped his notepad against his palm, then turned and disappeared.
Once he was gone, Hobbs turned back to Tabitha. “We should get out there,” she said. She brushed past him, but Hobbs caught her hand.
“Tabby.” He waited until she faced him. Her eyes sparkled. “I just... I wish I could explain. I can’t... I don’t know how to explain. I just need some time.”
“You don’t seem to need time with other women.”
“I—”
“Like Serena.”
How did she know about Serena? It’d only been drinks. She’d invited him back to her place, and Hobbs had gone, but as soon as Serena had gone for a kiss, Hobbs had turned his head and made an excuse, actually pretended there was a text from Victor on his phone that he couldn’t ignore. And he’d bolted. Hobbs hadn’t understood his actions then, but he did now. “Look, I know. I know how it seems. But they aren’t...they aren’t...” Hobbs trailed off. He knew what to say. He just couldn’t say it.
Tabitha shrugged, the corner of her mouth curving down, a little tremor there that she tried to hide. “You don’t have to explain anything.” Then she pulled away and was gone.
Hobbs stayed hidden in the shelves for a moment longer. He sighed and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. He saw Pops behind them, standing over that hole, his old boot on top of that rusty shovel, dirt raining down on Hobbs’s face and the whole world collapsing around him. Hobbs had been so smug, thinking he’d had the last word, thinking he’d pulled the trigger and finally won the war with that abusive old man.
Oh, how wrong he’d been.
