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“I never liked that kid,” Charlie said to the room at large. “Maxi didn’t either. Did you, pumpkin?”
Maxi didn’t answer her dad, she just continued staring up at the television screen. He recognized the look on her face. It was the same one that he’d seen when she’d taken the call right before her date. Like she’d seen a ghost.
The hairs on the back of Billy’s neck stood up. His senses were at full alert. Something was wrong and this time he planned on getting to the bottom of it.
“Maxi, do you remember that you didn’t like him?” Charlie asked again.
“What?” She blinked.
He motioned to the TV. “Samuels, you never liked him.”
“No.” Her voice was barely audible.
“Wait a minute, I remember that story.” The Colonel returned to the chair he’d vacated when Stephanie had come in. “Did he train with you?”
Charlie filled his friend in on how Samuels had trained with Lloyd Gianni about fifteen years ago, but a month before his fight he just disappeared. No goodbye. No explanation. Nothing. They found out later that he went back up to New York, where he was from. He dropped out of the boxing scene completely. Then a few years later he showed back up, Lloyd agreed to work with him because the kid had raw talent. But two weeks before his title fight, he got arrested for aggravated assault. The victim, Miles Hale, was in a coma for three days before dying. That’s when the assault charge turned into a murder rap.
Billy’s jaw tensed as he stared across the room at Maxi. Not being able to walk over and pull her into his arms was torture. But he knew he couldn’t do that. He didn’t even trust himself to go sit beside her. If he did he’d probably do something that he wasn’t supposed to. She might be fine with what they were doing behind closed doors, but he knew that she didn’t want anyone knowing what was going on between them. She’d told him that in no uncertain terms.
Logically, he understood. Especially since they hadn’t even discussed what they were. But emotionally it stung like the time he’d accidently stepped in a beehive and ended up looking like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.
“Sorry to break up the party.” Stephanie announced as she returned. “But I need to take Mr. I’m Fine down to radiology, Dr. Shaw wants a few more tests before he signs your walking papers tomorrow.”
Charlie grumbled about him being fine and not needing any more tests. Then he complained about the fact that he had to ride in a wheel chair down to the tests.
“I have two perfectly good legs I can use,” he insisted as she pushed him out of the room.
Maxi stood and Billy assumed that she was going to go with her dad. Which meant he was going to go with both of them. He didn’t care if they were in Harper’s Crossing and not Chicago, she wasn’t going anywhere without him. Not until they caught the sick fuck that was doing this.
She didn’t acknowledge him when she brushed past him, but when he stepped behind her she stopped and turned her head, looking over her shoulder. “I’m just going to the bathroom.” She gestured at the private bathroom in the far corner of the room.
The look in her eyes was distant and removed. He wasn’t looking at the same girl that he’d held in his arms as she slept every night this week.
“Are you okay?” He reached out and touched her arm.
“I’m fine.” She shrugged away from him and spun her head back.
He watched the door shut behind her and he thought that it was a perfect example of what was happening between them. She was shutting him out.
The Colonel slapped his hand on Billy’s shoulder as he stepped next to him. “So son, when do you plan on telling her?”
Billy tried to rewind the conversation that they’d been having before the story about Damien Samuels had come on. Since he’d only been half listening he came up with nothing. Had he said he would tell her something?
Hoping that he didn’t offend a man he’d come to truly respect, he asked, “Telling her what?”
“That you love her.”
Billy stared blankly. He wasn’t sure what to say. The Colonel and Charlie were good friends, and Charlie was more than just a father figure to him. He was the man he owed his life to. He didn’t want to admit to something that could get back to him before he had a chance to tell him. Or her, for that matter.
“Come on, I was born but I wasn’t born yesterday. You’re a goner. It’s game over for you. And I like you. You’re a good man, so I don’t want you to screw this up. You need to tell her, because as obvious as it is to me, that girl in there has blinders on when it comes to you. I don’t think she has any idea.”
Figuring there was no point in denying it, and actually feeling a little bit relieved that someone else knew what was going on, Billy stared at the closed door and promised, “I’m going to tell her.”
“When?”
When her life isn’t imploding.
“It’s just not a good time now.”
“And when is this good time gonna happen?”
“Someday.” Soon he hoped.
“Son, I know all the days of the week, and someday isn’t one of them.” He squeezed the hand that was resting on Billy’s shoulder. “The thing about life is, you can’t always wait for it to put all of your ducks in a row for you, sometimes, you’ve just gotta line those suckers up yourself.” With that he dropped his hand and announced, “I’m going to get a coffee, you want anything?”
“No, thanks.”
Billy didn’t know why he even asked since it didn’t matter that he always said no, the Colonel would still come back with something for him and Maxi. But one thing he did know, it was time to put some ducks in a row.
