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They sit side by side on the couch like two lovebirds, holding hands.
“It was fine,” I mutter, taking the chair. “It’s easy, really easy, considering the pay. All I have to do is arrange fancy cars for rich people, get them cleaned, and things like that. I’m mostly just locked away in an office in the back.”
“That sounds great,” Dad says enthusiastically.
I roll my eyes. “It’s just a job, Dad.”
“We want you to be happy,” Mom follows up. They function as a team now, which also takes some getting used to.
“I am happy,” I tell her.
Mom frowns, exchanging a look with Dad. It’s not as if it takes a mind reader to figure out I’ve just lied to them. I’ve been doing my best to hide the feelings swirling in me since I met Colt almost a year ago. I need to get a grip. Yet it’s like this strange, angry mixture of want, resentment, and doubt combined with the promise I made to myself—the promise always to keep myself closed off.
“Are you?” Mom says after a long pause. “Is working in a car rental place your dream?”
“I don’t have a dream, Mom. You know that.”
“I wish you wouldn’t say things like that.”
“We don’t have to talk about this,” I tell her. “But since we are, I might as well be honest, right?”
She sighs but then nods. “Ruby has her history. You’ve seen how it lights her up. We were wondering, Lexi, what if we could support you for a while? That way, you could find your dream.”
I sit up and look closely at them. Dad is staring at the floor. Mom does her best to look at me, but she can’t hide what’s really going on here.
“Ruby is behind this, isn’t she? She asked you to make this offer. She’ll bankroll it, right? Right?”
“She just wants you to be happy.”
“I am happy.”
Not exactly proving my point, I leap to my feet and leave the room, my footsteps pounding up the stairs. Throwing myself onto my bed, I take out my cell phone and text Ruby.
I know you want the best for me, but please stop offering me money. I don’t need it. I’m capable of taking care of myself.
I’m sorry, Lexi. You’ve just always looked out for me. I want to repay the favor.
It was never a favor. It was the right thing to do, as your sister.
Okay, but I want to do the right thing… as YOUR sister.
Please, I type. Respect my wishes on this.
I can tell she’s unhappy about this when she doesn’t reply to my message, but I’m too tired and drained to follow up with her. I didn’t see Ralph much for the rest of the day, just twice. Once, I passed him in the hallway. He kept his face down, ignoring me. The second time was in the breakroom.
It was like he couldn’t help himself. He looked over. A smile peeled across his lips. “Your eyes are still as interesting as I remember.”
Then he quickly left as though he knew he’d gone too far. That’s Ralph all over, the little worm. It won’t be long until he’s making even creepier comments and overstepping the mark in sicker ways.
Reaching into my pocket—I’ve got a habit of keeping the phone number as close to me as possible—I take out the paper. I stare at the number, my heart thumping. I feel like a silly, starstruck girl as I contemplate calling him.
No, I wouldn’t call. That would be too difficult. I’d have to text him and say what, exactly? A perv from my past is now my coworker. Please, Colt, get your badass dog to tear him to pieces? Is that how I think this is going to go?
I let out a shaky breath as I type his number into my contact page. The emotions from the night we met return to me. I was walking furiously across the front lawn toward the house, screwdriver in hand, blood pounding in my ears.
Then he was there, staring down, almost like he was impressed. He had to stop me because he cared. That’s the feeling I got from him, as ridiculous as it sounds.
I type a message. Colt, I’m not sure if you remember me. It’s Lexi, Ruby’s sister. You stopped me from doing something ridiculous almost a year ago. I’m the girl with the mismatched eyes. Anyway, I guess Ruby’s right. This city is too small, or fate’s having fun with us. Basically, I’ve started a new job, and there’s this guy there, and when I was younger, he made me…
I delete the entire message, biting my lip. Then I quickly let my lip go. That’s not something I do. Lip-biting should be relegated to lovestruck women in books and movies.
Hey, Colt. It’s Lexi. Do you remember me?
Studying the message, I decide it’s too casual, but I’m unsure how to explain everything to him. I need to send something, but then what? Do I want him to hurt Ralph? Will that solve anything?
