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“Hey now.” Rizzo scowls. “That’s not—”
“Axel?” Hannah tries again, grabbing my arm.
I brush her off and meet Sloane’s hard stare. “Check in with him for me. Make sure he’s doing okay.”
“Axel Feeney.” Hannah’s voice comes a little louder now. Not a shout, but still, it catches the attention of my colleagues—and Nicole, who stands just a few feet away with Preston.
Hannah grabs my sleeve and yanks me around until our eyes meet. “I will not be ignored.”
“I’m busy.” I gently brush off her hand and pat her shoulder.
It’s the douchiest ‘pal’ thing I could do. But it communicates the message as effectively as if I’d yelled in her face.
“I’ve got things to do, Hannah. And you have a shop to open before everyone leaves here and goes to town looking for somewhere to eat.” The smile I offer is neither genuine, nor all that friendly. But it chips away another layer of that bullshit she considers love, and pushes her one step closer to freedom from the life of mourning that Ruiz so recently inherited. “Help my sister, please.” I take a step away and leave my colleagues slack-jawed and watching. “Do your job and leave me alone.”
I turn on my heels and stop on Nic. Tears soak her cheeks, and her hand clutches Preston’s in a white-knuckled grip as she holds on for comfort. So I pause for a beat and lean in to press a kiss to her cheek.
She’s older than me, my caretaker and my sister. But she seems so small and sad today. So scared, as her reality comes crashing down to sit on her shoulders.
She’s not Hannah, and the chances of me scaring her away are slim to non-existent. But the fact remains she risks the same future. If I fall on the job, my sister won’t be immune to the heartache I’m trying to save Hannah from.
But at least she has Preston now. She has June.
She’s safe and happy, which means my responsibility is ending, as far as she’s concerned.
I can afford a little breathing space for her to discover a full life outside of me.
But for the moment, “Are you gonna be alright?” I lean closer and wrap Nic in a hug that she burrows into.
She circles my neck with her arms and cinches in tight while Pres watches from the outside. “Are you gonna be alright?”
“I’m fine, Nic.”
“You’re not fine.” Her voice catches and breaks as she sniffles and brings her arm up to wipe away the mess. “You’re not even close to fine.”
“I wasn’t working that night.” I frown as she steps back into Preston’s arms. “And my leg is healing.”
“I mean your mind.” Tears continue to fall. To trail over her cheeks. “Your brain is going a million miles a minute. I can tell you’re not thinking good things.”
I force myself to chuckle—I have a role to play, and a sister to placate—then I press a last kiss to her cheek and step back. “You’re worrying yourself over something youthinkI’m thinking.” Chucking her chin, I drop my hand and dig it into my pocket, if only so Hannah can’t sneak up and take it. “You didn’t have to come here, Nic. It’s not good for you to see these things.”
“Ainsley has been to my home. She’s eaten at my table.” At the memory, fresh tears spill from Nic’s eyes. “She was family. So yes, I’m gonna be here. And then I’m gonna follow you until you’re okay again.”
“But I am okay.” I look to Preston and offer my hand, since it’s what I would do in a normal situation.Isn’t it?“Pres.”
He takes my offering and shakes once. Twice. “You look like shit, bud. What’s on your mind?”
I snort—this time, my reaction is real—before breaking our contact and angling my body toward the parking lot on the far side of the cemetery. “I’ll stop by for dinner in the next few nights.”
“Do you promise?” Nicole pivots as I move away. “Axel?”
“Promise. Pasta will always bring me sniffing. Besides, I wanna hang with June Bug. It’s been ages.”
My fault, of course, considering I’ve ignored every offer to come over.
Because I don’t wanna keep looking into her eyes, I turn fully, giving her my back, and hobble toward my truck.
I’m going home. To the quiet.
