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She stayed silent for a few heart strokes. “I’m good.”
He knew she was lying and could sense that something was weighing heavy on her. “You don’t need to lie or pretend in front of me. I can see something is weighing on your mind.”
She looked guilty but didn’t answer.
“I brought you a little gift. I hope it’ll ease some of your worry.” He walked around a corner and led her straight up to Berta.
“Berta!” Her face brightened in pure joy. A little bit of the glow he’d seen the first time they’d met returned.
“Not brand new, but very close to it.” He was proud of himself, not that he’d fixed Berta but that he was able to make her happy.
“You didn’t have to do that.” She seemed to try and hide some of her excitement as if she felt bad for being happy to have her car back. “Berta is yours now.”
“No, beautiful, she’s yours. I just fixed her up for you. I had fun but now that she’s all better, she needs to return to you. She wouldn’t do me much good anyway.”
He handed her the keys, and she took them with tears in her eyes. Her appreciation for what he’d done for her was pure. She got on her tiptoes and hugged him. Her touch eased the ache he’d felt while being parted from her. An unexplainable warmth radiated through his body.
“Thank you, Blake.” She let go of him and looked at Berta in awe.
“If she gives you any trouble just let me know.”
“Well, then I’ll need your number, won’t I?” As soon as the words had come out of her mouth she blushed, and her cheeks turned a bright rose.
“Dashboard.”
He’d left her a note with his number on it. She unlocked Berta and sat in the driver’s seat, with her feet dangling out the door. He watched as she typed his number into her phone before she sent him a quick text.
“Now you have no excuse not to call me.” Her cheeks turned even pinker as if she was ashamed of her words.
He laughed. “I’ll call but I’m not sure when I can see you again. It’s complicated but I want to, and I’ll come back.”
She looked up and straight into his eyes, a sadness had overcome her. “Did you get in trouble because of me?”
“You could say so.” He leaned against Berta and could see another wave of guilt overcome her. “It’s not your fault, beautiful.” When he called her beautiful, her eyes sparkled. “I don’t regret helping you. I did the right thing no matter what they say.” He sighed, annoyed that he couldn’t be honest with her. “My family is just very complicated. They usually don’t allow anyone on their grounds. It’s something we’ve always lived by.” He laughed, trying to lighten the mood again. “But I’m known to bend the rules, so don’t worry, you didn’t corrupt me. It wasn’t the first time I got in trouble.”
“I’m sorry. I wish you wouldn’t have gotten in trouble, no matter if it was the first or hundredth time.”
“Don’t take this on you. I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.”
They both fell into a deep silence. She stared into her lap, hiding her face from him, but he could feel that she was dwelling on something.
“What happened to you out there in the woods?”
The question had been on his mind since the day he’d seen her at Cliff’s gas station. He hadn’t wanted to push her to talk about it, but he needed to know, and wasn’t sure how much longer he had with her. Seth could come at any moment. She’d been hurt out there and he had an overwhelming urge to punish whoever had done it. She flinched a little and started fidgeting with her shirt. He could sense that she was nervous, anxious, and even a little afraid.
“Niev, whatever you tell me, I’ll keep it a secret.”
“You’ll think I’m a freak or something.” Her voice shook as she fidgeted with her clothes.
He kneeled in front of her and took her hands in his. “I won’t, I promise. You can trust me.”
She didn’t look at him, just stared at her hands. “Do you remember what happened to me when I cut my hand?” she asked, her voice a mere whisper.
“Yes.”
“A few weeks ago, I accidentally hurt myself with a knife. I was doing the dishes and when I reached into the water, I stabbed my hand with a sharp knife. I was panicking and not thinking straight so I pulled it out. It only took a few minutes for my hand to heal. At first, I thought my mind had played a trick on me. I’d been hurt in the past but nothing like that ever happened. I cut myself again, I thought I’d gone crazy, but the cut healed again within a few seconds. Over time the cuts became bigger and deeper and the time it took for them to heal became less and less.”
Blake didn’t like where this was going but he repeated his question. “What happened to you in the woods?”
