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“Well, let me just tell you something,” Sunny leaned back in his chair. “Your brother knew exactly what he was doing, sounds like. It’s obvious that he thought that you would go down for it. He wanted to make sure of it.”
“Well, he did,” Luce snapped. “That’s why I filed for divorce. Before, I was going to stay with him out of the vow that I made… but after that? It wasn’t that he left me to fend for myself. It wasn’t that I’d found him cheating, again, with a young girl that was barely of age. It wasn’t that he was a narcissist and couldn’t finish his day without making sure mine was complete shit. It was what he’d done to Bain that was the final nail. I couldn’t be with a person that treats his family like that.”
CHAPTER 10
That song ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’ came out nearly forty years ago. And I feel like we’ve been disrespecting Twisted Sister by not taking their song to heart.
-Luce’s secret thoughts
LUCE
“Whoa,” Shawna said as the two men left. “I’d heard the story, of course. I mean, everyone that lives here has heard the story. Hell, my hairdresser two towns over has heard the story. But I’d never heard heard it before. You know?”
I knew.
“It’s a crazy one, that’s for sure,” I agreed. “What’s even worse is that every time I tell it, I get madder and madder at Braxton.”
“What did his parents think of it all?” Shawna asked.
I cleaned up the counter from the lunch rush, noticing a twenty-five-dollar tip underneath where Sheriff Sunny had sat.
I picked it up, pocketed it, then moved to Bain’s plate before pausing and looking at the “tip” he’d left me.
It wasn’t twenty-five dollars, for he knew that I hated getting charity from him. Instead, it was a note that said, “I remember that kiss from years ago… and I remember the kiss from just a few days ago. Both were everything I ever wanted them to be. If you ever feel like you might want to test these waters with me… I’ll definitely be willing to tread them with you.”
I blinked and folded the note up into a bazillion tiny halves, then shoved it deep into my pocket, where it resided for the rest of the shift.
It was only as we were leaving that night that Shawna said, “You never answered me.”
I blinked as I closed down all the lights and walked to the door. “About what?”
“About his parents,” she answered. “You never told me what they thought about it all.”
“For Bain? They were concerned and obviously forgiving and supportive. For Braxton? They’ve kind of written him off. Before that, he’d already kind of alienated himself. But after that night? And now? They tolerate him as a son. They buy him Christmas presents and put up a good game… but I just don’t think that they’ll ever look at him like a son they respect and love again. At least, not like they look at Bain. Which drives Braxton insane. He hates not being number one.”
“I can see it,” Shawna agreed. “Good luck with your last few finals tomorrow. Don’t stay up too late studying for them. And I can’t wait to see you at your graduation ceremony!”
I smiled.
That ‘ceremony’ was something that I was doing for her.
She’d asked me to, and I’d agreed.
Both Matilda and I were of the mindset to be done.
However, Shawna convinced me that we needed to go to graduation for our parents. Both of which had been very excited upon learning that we were going to walk.
Well, we should be walking if we passed all of our finals.
As I went home that night, my mind was on other things.
That had to be why I drove up to my door, got out and made my way up to the front walk without first noticing the looming presence on my front porch.
I stopped once I noticed the movement and the man.
“Braxton, what are you doing here?” I asked carefully, palming my keys in a way that I could use them to fight if I needed to.
I wasn’t one-hundred-percent sure that I needed them there, but something told me that I needed to be ready. Because Braxton’s presence at my home was disturbing.
I hadn’t seen him for months before his brother had come home. And now he was popping up left and right… and I didn’t like it.
“I want you to stay away from my brother,” he said. “I can see that there’s something there. As I’ve always been able to see it. And I want you to stay away from him. I have a new kid I need to support and my parents need to be focused on that. Not on you and their perfect son getting together and making their dreams come true.”
