CHAPTER NINETEEN
“Hello?” Abby clamped the phone between her ear and shoulder, her umbrella under one arm while she dug through her bag for her keys.
“Are you going to get me the money soon?”
She straightened in surprise at the sound of her brother’s voice, letting her phone slip out from under her ear. Fumbling, she managed to catch it, letting go of her bag instead. It fell off the desk, papers and books spilling out, stray pens scattering, and chapstick rolling across the floor. Scrambling after the rogue chapstick, Abby glanced at the screen before putting the phone back to her ear but didn’t recognize the number.
“Who is this?” she demanded, stalling for time.
A sigh met her question. “Do you have lots of people calling you and asking for money?”
Yup, typical Aaron. She sighed too. “I haven’t had time to go to the bank yet.”
“Well, make time to go to the bank. I need the cash.”
“You know what, Aaron? For someone asking for a huge favor, you sure are demanding. How about I change my mind and not give you anything? Sound good?”
“Wait, wait, wait. I’m sorry. It’s just—they keep calling. The only reason they’re not coming here is because they don’t know where I live. But they’ll find me. And soon. Can you get the money tonight?”
Fear pinged through her nervous system, settling as a cold weight in her belly. If they found Aaron, they’d find Mom. And if strange men showed up … Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm down. She could stop that from happening. But not today. A glance at the wall clock showed that it was almost five. No way could she make it to the bank before closing. “No. I’m still at school. The bank closes in five minutes and it’ll take me at least that long just to get to my car.”
“What about tomorrow?” He barely let her finish her sentence before he cut in.
She pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. “I swear to God, Aaron. Don’t ever come to me for help again.”
“I won’t. I promise.” Yeah, because his promises were so trustworthy. “Please, Abby. Can you go tomorrow? I need the cash now.”
Abby went through her schedule. She didn’t have class until eleven on Tuesdays. Cutting off an involuntary groan at the thought of getting up earlier than she had to, she agreed. “Yeah. I can do it in the morning.”
“Great. Do you want to meet me somewhere? Or should I come to the bank with you?”
God, no. “I’ll come to Mom’s to drop it off afterward.” She had time to do that if she got up early and made it to the bank first thing. Barely. “I haven’t seen her in a while anyway.”
“Great. Thanks, Abby. I really appreciate it.”
Yeah. She was sure he did. In his own way. “Sure. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow.” And he disconnected. No goodbye. Well, he hadn’t said hello either. Jackass.
Bending to gather her things, she stuffed them back in her bag. The one good thing was that she could see the metal of her keys glinting in the bottom of her bag now that everything had fallen out. By the time she got outside, the rain had picked up. The wind had too, so it blew the rain sideways, making her umbrella useless. Perfect.
Now she would be wet, irritated, and feeling guilty once again for lying to Lance about where her money was going. The fact that Aaron wouldn’t get his hands on Lance’s money like he wanted was little consolation. The guilt still ate at her, but she tried not to think about it.
Letting out a sigh, she unlocked her car. She needed to get rid of her pissy mood before she got home. Lance would be home soon. And he would pick up on her mood and ask what was wrong. She didn’t need to add more lies on top of the one she’d already told. The guilt would kill her. She’d get Aaron the money tomorrow, then this would all be over. She could put it out of her mind and not think about it ever again.
The next day, Lance crept quietly into the bedroom after his morning shower to get his clothes and kiss Abby before grabbing breakfast and heading to work. And stopped halfway through the door, surprised to see the light on and Abby out of bed, grabbing some clothes out of the closet. He checked the time. It was barely after seven.
When she turned to lay her clothes on the bed, he stepped up to her, pulling her into his arms, her body still warm from sleep. He kissed her, holding her against him for a moment, pulling back before his cock got too excited by having her there. She might be up, but he didn’t have time for a quickie, even if he might’ve liked one.
“What are you doing up so early?”
She stepped out of his arms, avoiding his gaze and pushing her hair behind her ear. “Um, I need to go to the bank and then take the money to my, uh, mom today. Her appointment is soon, and she’ll need to pay for the tests up front.”
Lance stepped back, crossing his arms over his chest. “Oh?” He kept his voice neutral, trying for nothing more than mild curiosity. But his radar was on alert. After the conversation with Chris on Saturday, he’d been trying to find a way to bring this up without being too pushy, and here she’d dropped this in his lap. Irritation flashed through him at her avoidance, which made him even more certain that she was lying to him.
But why?
She nodded, shooting a quick glance at him before gathering up her clothes. “Yeah. I guess that’s the way the hospital does these things now. I dunno. So, um, I need to take a shower so I can get to the bank when it opens and drive to Coeur d’Alene and back before class.”
Lance’s eyebrows climbed his forehead. “Are you giving her cash? Why not just deposit a check in her bank account? You still have her deposit slips, don’t you?”
Her shoulders hunched, and she blew out a breath, her eyes focused over his shoulder. “Yeah. But she said she preferred cash.”
He blinked. Of course “she” preferred cash. Since “she” was probably Aaron. He clenched his jaw, suppressing the urge to demand the truth. He didn’t have time to start a fight right now, and he really wanted her to decide to tell him on her own. To prove that she did trust him, and that this wasn’t a huge step backwards.
Forcing his voice to remain calm, he asked, “Have you talked to your mom? How’s she doing?”
“She hasn’t wanted to talk on the phone. That’s, um, that’s why I’m going there today. So I can see her.” She started out stilted, but her answer grew more confident as she spoke, like she was warming up to the expansion of her lie. She glanced at him again and her hand went to her mouth, her fingers rolling and tugging her lower lip.
He’d usually reach for her hand when she did that. But today he let her. It could be from nerves about her mom’s supposed health problems, but it seemed more likely that she felt guilty about lying. Oh, he believed that she was getting money to take to her mom’s house. But with her evasiveness, no way did he buy that it was really for her mom.
Even though it pissed him off that she felt the need to lie—and it grated more because he’d been so happy that it seemed like she trusted him more—he reached for her again. Lying to him was clearly hard for her, and he imagined that giving up the money she so fiercely argued for just over a month ago when her disbursement came in had to be hard for her too. That money represented her independence. And now she was giving it up. So maybe she did trust him more than she used to. Just not enough to tell him what was really going on.
He wanted to push, to find out the truth, but another glance at the clock reminded him that he couldn’t right now. He’d have to hurry to get to work on time. Spending time in weird conversations with Abby in the morning wasn’t part of his usual routine.
Rubbing his hands up and down her arms, he bent to kiss her again, this time just a brief press of his lips to hers. Her hand had fallen away from her mouth when he reached for her, her face coming up to his, and she kissed him back. At least she wasn’t completely shutting him out.
“Let me know how she’s doing. Feel free to call me if you need to. I’ll make sure to keep my phone handy in case you need anythi
ng, okay?” He made sure she met his eyes as he said that, hoping to convey to her that he’d be there for her no matter what. That whatever was going on she could trust him with it. With the truth.
Her wide blue eyes stared into his, and she nodded once. Letting her go, he moved to the closet to pull out his clothes for the day, and she went to the bathroom, the door shutting behind her with a soft click.
He waited until he heard the swish of the shower curtain and the sound of running water before he pulled out the ring box he’d stashed away after he’d gotten home at Christmas, opening it to look at the engagement ring again. On Friday he’d thought that he might propose soon. His sister would be here later this week for her audition, so he’d planned on waiting until after she left and they were alone again. Now he wasn’t so sure. The lie between them made him less confident. If she didn’t trust him enough with this, what made him think she’d be willing to be his wife?
Letting out a defeated sigh, he put the ring box away again and finished getting dressed. He didn’t have time to think about that right now. He’d have to figure it out later.
Killing the engine in her mom’s driveway, Abby glanced at the envelope of cash on her passenger seat. Her stomach twisted again at the thought of handing that money over to her brother. She picked it up, opening it and letting her fingers drift over the bills—forty one hundred dollar bills. Four thousand dollars sounded like so much money, but here in front of her it seemed almost paltry. She felt like it should take up more space than this, but it was easier to conceal this way. Easier to carry four thousand dollars in hundreds than twenties.
Her eyes landed on Aaron’s beat-up car as she closed her door and climbed the steps to the house. She tucked the envelope into her back pocket before knocking on the door and unlocking it.
“Mom? Aaron? It’s me.” The blinds were closed and the curtains drawn, making the interior of the house dim. She stood on the little square of vinyl flooring that served as an entryway waiting for her eyes to adjust.
“Abby?” Her mom’s voice came from the hallway, her head poking out shortly after.
Abby studied her face, trying to determine if she looked thinner or had gained any weight. She always hoped for the latter. As her mom crept into the room and Abby’s eyes adjusted to the gloom, she decided that her mom looked about the same.
She gave her mom a careful hug, noting that her bones didn’t feel like they were poking through her skin more than normal. That was good at least. Maybe Aaron being at her mom’s wasn’t the worst thing in the world. Well, for her mom anyway. Him being here, forcing her into her current position, felt like the worst thing to her.
Her mom smiled at her when she pulled back after their brief contact. “What brings you over today? Don’t you have school?”
Abby dropped her arms to her sides and nodded. “Yeah, but I start later today. I—” She cleared her throat, looking around, unsure if her mom knew that Aaron had asked her for money. Somehow she doubted it, and she didn’t want to be the one to tell her mom if she didn’t already know. “I haven’t been over in a while and thought I’d check in.”
Her mom gave her a funny look and went to sit in her favorite spot on the couch, and Abby sat on the end of the loveseat nearest to her mom. “You usually wait until the weekend. It seems strange for you to just show up on a Tuesday.”
Abby looked down and picked at some fuzz on her sweater. “Um, Aaron called me the other day.” That much was true, at least. “He mentioned that you would enjoy a visit, so I decided to get up early and come today since I was busy last weekend and Lance’s sister is coming later this week. She’ll be here until Saturday.”
“Oh.” Her mom looked a little disappointed, but then brightened as much as she ever did. “Well, I’m glad you came by. I haven’t seen you in weeks.”
Guilt washed over her again. “I’m sorry, Mom. It’s been a busy semester.”
“And you’re not happy Aaron’s here.”
Abby shrugged and opened her mouth to deny that, but her mom cut her off.
“I know you’re staying away so you don’t have to see him. And I can’t blame you. He left you responsible for a lot at a young age.” Abby was surprised to see tears forming in her mom’s eyes. “He had to deal with a lot of responsibility even younger than you did. You both have had to deal with a lot, and I hate that that’s the way it is, but …”
Abby reached over and gave her mom’s hand a light squeeze where it rested on the arm of the couch. “It’s okay, Mom. It’s not your fault.”
She nodded and sniffed, rubbing her nose with the back of her hand. Abby stood, looking for a box of tissues. A square box sat on the TV stand, and she grabbed it and handed it to her mom. While her mom wiped her nose and dabbed at her eyes, Abby decided she should find the person she really came to see. Which just made her feel more guilty. “So, um, is Aaron around today?”
Her mom sniffed once more. “Yeah. He should be out any minute. He’d just finished his shower before you came in.”
As though he’d been listening in, which Abby figured he probably had, Aaron came out of the hallway just then, his short blond hair spiky and damp. His calculating gaze swept over Abby, darting to their mom and back to her, one eyebrow lifted in question.
“Hey, Aaron.”
“Hey, sis.” He stepped up to her and gave her a hug, pulling her in closer to him than she liked. She understood why when he whispered in her ear, barely louder than breathing, “You have it?”
She gave a slight nod and pulled back. He eyed her again, but moved to sit down on the end of the couch opposite their mom. Abby sat back down, keeping up the pretense of visiting her mom by filling her in on her birthday party over the weekend and Gabby’s upcoming visit to audition for the music department at Marycliff.
Abby kept a close eye on the time, wanting to make sure she left in plenty of time to make it to her first class. Just before ten, she stood. “It’s been great seeing you, Mom, but I have to get going. I have class in about an hour.”
Her mom stood too, rubbing her upper arm. “Wait just a second. I got you a card for your birthday.”
Abby glanced at her brother, who smirked back at her from where he still lounged on the couch. At first Abby had been surprised when he didn’t stand when she announced she had to go. But looking at him closer, she could see the restrained tension in his body. He didn’t want to seem overeager for the cash, but at the same time, he wanted it badly.
Maybe I should just keep it, flitted through her head, but she dismissed the thought as soon as it appeared. She’d promised him the money, and she wouldn’t go back on that promise, even if her brother didn’t deserve her loyalty. Hopefully she’d hear from her mom by the weekend that he’d bailed again. That was the best scenario she could come up with.
Her mom came back to the living room with a blue envelope in her hand, Abby’s name written in looping cursive on the back. “Here you go, sweetie. It’s not much of a birthday present, but it’s the best I could do.”
“It’s fine, Mom. You didn’t have to do anything.”
“Well, Aaron did most of the work. I wanted to pick out your card myself, but I couldn’t manage to go to the store with him, so he called me and read me all of the options. I hope you like it.”
“I’m sure it’s great, Mom. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Her mom gave her a small smile and another pat on the arm.
Abby wrapped an arm around her for another gentle hug. “Bye, Mom. I’ll check in with you next week.” If her mom hadn’t called her already.
Aaron stood. “I’ll walk you out to your car, Abby.”
Their mom practically beamed. “That’s so nice of you, Aaron. I’m happy you two are getting along better.”
Abby stopped herself from shaking her head. “Getting along” was not the term she would have picked.
Grinning at their mom, Aaron threw his arm around Abby’s shoulders. “I’ll be back in a few, Mom.”
She picked up her pace, trotting down the steps, wanting distance between herself and her brother. “Seriously, Aaron? That was completely unnecessary.”
He shrugged and crossed his arms. “Gotta keep up the show for Mom.” He paused, his tongue coming out to lick the corner of his mouth. “So you have it? The money?”
Abby rolled her eyes and pulled the envelope out of her back pocket. “Of course. You really think I’d come all the way over here without it when I have classes later?”
“You might’ve changed your mind.”
She snorted. “Yeah, I might’ve. But I wouldn’t have driven all the way here just to tell you that.”
She held out the envelope. “There’s the four thousand you said you owe.”
Snatching it from her hand, he opened it and rifled through the bills inside. “Thanks, Abs.”
And with that, he turned to go back to the house. Her mouth dropped open. That was it? Nothing more than an off-hand thanks?
She watched him walk up the steps, tuck the envelope into the back pocket of his jeans, and stroll inside like she hadn’t just given him the contents of her savings account. That hit her like a punch to the gut. She had no other money, just the few hundred dollars in her checking account. Yeah, she had a job, but ten hours a week at minimum wage didn’t add up to a whole lot.
Even though Lance was happy to cover the rent, she craved the security of having her own money. It left her feeling sick and off-balance now that it was gone.
She swallowed back the choking, fearful feeling and climbed into her car. It was done. She couldn’t undo it now. And she had to get to class.
CHAPTER TWENTY
“Lance!” Gabby squealed and threw herself into his arms, the large rectangle of her violin case banging him in the side as it slid off her shoulder. He hugged her, smiling widely despite getting whacked with a large hunk of hollow wood. That sucker was heavy duty, designed to protect an expensive instrument.
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