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I smiled. “Yeah. Pugnacious little thing. Thanks for teaching her how to land a punch.”
He inclined his head. “That sounds a little bit like an apology.”
“You were right and I was wrong,” I quipped. “There. Memorize this moment, for it shall not happen again.”
“Hmm. We’ll see.” His eyes surveyed me. “You look tired.”
“Thanks. Might need to invest in a new concealer.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Being responsible for a fifteen-year-old twenty-four seven is exhausting.”
“You don’t have to do it alone,” he said slowly. “We can be around more. I can be around more.”
“You’re around all the time. Without you, without Savage, I’d…we’d…” I sighed.
“Family,” he reminded me. “That’s what we do.”
“The girls offered the same,” I said. “They said don’t hesitate to ask.”
“What do you need, Willa?”
“Some fucking stability,” I said. “I’ve never had that. Waverly sure as hell hasn’t had that. She’s suspended this week, and then she’ll be in summer school. But she needs more. She needs direction.”
“She needs a summer job,” Duke pointed out. “Something to focus on while she earns a little bit of money. She needs a reward in life, something real.”
“I didn’t want her to have to work so young. But she’s already asked if she could work a summer job. She likes babysitting Darcy’s kids, and they love her. She’s shown an interest in baking, and Brooklyn’s been teaching her. But she’s at that age where I can no longer hide what we are.”
“What are you?” Duke inquired.
“Poor,” I blurted out. “Scraping by. I didn’t want that for Waverly. I wanted new clothes and matching furniture. I wanted to take her to New York for her sixteenth birthday, but with the way things are going, I won’t be able to afford it. Look, I’m not complaining, okay? I’ll work as hard as I have to. I just want her to have all the opportunities I didn’t get and right now that’s not something I can provide for her.”
“Maybe she doesn’t want those opportunities,” he said. “Maybe she wants your time and attention, and she wants to feel normal and have a boyfriend and get into trouble, but she doesn’t care about matching furniture or new clothes. Hell, she prefers going to thrift stores instead of the mall anyway. She lives for that shit, you know? Are you sure this is even about Waverly?”
Waverly and Savage returned to the table. Savage carried all four sodas because Waverly was holding a bag of ice to her right knuckles.
“Gonna have to change your nickname to Rocky,” Savage said as he set the glasses down. “Food’s ordered.”
“Thanks,” I said, taking a glass.
“I don’t like the name Rocky.” Waverly settled in next to Duke, but the moment her phone chimed, she sat up and grabbed it. “It’s Dylan.”
“Fucking Dylan,” Savage muttered.
“Be nice,” Waverly said. “Or you don’t get to meet him in a normal setting with real napkins.” She looked at me. “Can I call him?”
I nodded.
She slid out of the booth again, phone and ice in hand, and went back to the bar area.
“Handful, that one,” Duke stated with a smile.
“She’s Willa 2.0,” Savage quipped. “God, I love that kid.”
Chapter11
“What’sthe plan for Waverly while she’s suspended?” Savage asked. “Ketchup.”
