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She appears worried, as if I’ve caught her out cheating on me and it causes the anger inside me to bubble to the surface.
“Well, I’m waiting.”
She half turns and shrugs. “It was a friend. Are you saying I can’t have those now? Maybe this won’t work out after all.”
I note the flush of anger on her face and the way she is biting her bottom lip tells me she’s lying.
She won’t even maintain eye contact and it disturbs me. There is something happening in her life that is worrying her, and she won’t confide in me, which means she already knows I won’t like it.
She is shaking and I hate that I’m the cause of that and so I slam the glass down and say harshly, “Are you ready?”
“I…” She hesitates and I take a deep breath and say evenly, “Laura. I don’t care if you have friends come over if it makes you happy. That is all I want, but something obviously happened here the last time you came home, and it resulted in your near breakdown. You didn’t sleep, and you appeared anxious, and I am only trying to help.”
She fidgets on the spot, and I sigh heavily.
“Think about it. If you need someone to listen, I am that person. I’m your new best friend and I want no secrets kept from me because one way or another, secrets come out and I don’t like nasty surprises. I must see them coming to prepare for it.”
Her eyes mist over, and she stares at me with concern. “I’m sorry, Troy. You’re talking about your dad, aren’t you?”
I push away her analysis of my emotions and say quickly, “I’m talking about me and you, Laura. I want you to be honest with me.”
“Are you being honest with me, Troy?” Her soft reply comes from nowhere and I stare at her with a blank expression.
She advances slowly and lifts her finger to stroke my face and whispers, “Have you told me the real reason why you want me as your girlfriend or are you hiding that from me?”
I turn away and she grasps my hand and says firmly, “Honesty is a two-way thing, Troy. I have a feeling you are hiding secrets of your own and just so you know, secrets have a habit of coming out, so I must prepare for that.”
She throws my own sentence back at me and it makes me smile.
“You want honesty, Laura. I’m not sure you can deal with the truth.”
“Try me.”
She is staring at me with so much compassion it would be the easiest thing in the world to unburden the entire sordid reason I brought her here. Then my phone rings and chases away the moment and I stare at my brother’s number unusually lighting up my phone.
“I need to get this.”
I turn away and answer it quickly.
“Harrison, what’s up?”
“I just got home, and Mrs. Carlton informs me that mom is in Cedar Sands and Melissa’s in Barbados.”
“So, you knew mom was going to get help.”
“That’s not what concerns me.”
“Then what does?”
“Melissa never made it to Barbados. Her phone is tracking somewhere in fucking Italy.”
A cold shiver passes through my body and the blood rushes to my head as I sense the game has changed. My mind works fast, and Harrison says gruffly,“I tried to call her, but it goes to voicemail every fucking time. What the hell is going on, Troy, and why the fuck aren’t you in the office?”
“I’ll be right there.”
I offer no explanations and turn to Laura and snap, “You want honesty, well, buckle up baby, and get ready for the shock of your life. I’ll explain at the house.”
As I grab her bags, I don’t say another word because suddenly shit got real and if anyone’s to blame, it’s me. I should have seen this coming; this is all my fault.
