Tainted Black - Williams Shanora. Страница 42

I stepped forward, holding my hand up. Her words stopped flowing in an instant, eyes glossy. Damn, I don’t know what it was about Margie, but this woman had deep-rooted issues. It seemed she was afraid of asking for things, like someone had punished her before for asking for anything at all. I was truly sympathetic for the humble woman, but I needed her to know that everything was fine. “Margie,” I murmured. “It’s okay. He can stay here. We have another guest room and he’s more than welcome to use it. I don’t mind at all.”

“Oh, God.” She cupped her mouth. I was about to consider her dramatic, until she continued. “Oh my goodness, Chloe, thank you! Last night was my first time seeing him in three years. I truly, honestly, need this.”

Oh. I felt bad for my previous thought. Three years?! Wow.

I dropped my hands, watching as two stray tears fell down her cheeks. I went back for the roll of paper towels, ripping one off and handing it to her. She accepted it, wiping her face clean. “Three freaking years?! Margie! Why has it been so long?”

She shrugged. “He has been very busy with his life. He’s an orchestrator for a high school in Arizona. He hardly ever comes home because he’s so swamped. And me… well, I happen to move a lot too. By the time he can actually come visit me, I’m booked for another caregiving job or working late hours as a nurse. We still keep in touch—he calls every day—but it has been hard not seeing my only child. Mi hijo.” My son.

“Was he raised here?”

“We lived in L.A.” she smiled. “I was born in Mexico but raised here in the U.S.”

“Oh. How neat. It’s insane for him not to see you for three years, though. As a teacher, there’s really not that many excuses.”

“He has his reasons. He wanted to stay away from California to grow as a person—escape certain… things. He called me last week, told me his band had entered the finals and was traveling to Bristle Wave High for a performance. He took that as a sign of God telling him he was ready to come back this way.”

“That’s great!” I beamed. “So when will he be here?”

“Tomorrow morning, if that is okay.” She looked at me for reassurance, grey eyes bright. I nodded. Her happiness was contagious. How her son could abandon his sweet mother, I did not know. If my mom were anything like Margie, I would have come home more often.

“I was thinking of making a big breakfast, and I promise you I will still be giving Mr. Knight the best care. He will never leave my sight. Let’s just hope that he cooperates with Sterling around. He isn’t very fond of people he doesn’t know.”

I scoffed. “Yeah, he’s always been that way. He doesn’t like to get to know people unless he has to, but I’m sure Dad will be fine. He’ll live. Breakfast sounds great! I’ll be sure to come down for it and meet your son. He sounds like a nice guy.”

“He is a great man. He’s accomplished so much when I didn’t think he would. He’s made me one proud mama!”

“I bet.”

“Margie, the remote please!” Dad called from the living room.

Margie glanced over her shoulder and then looked at me. Laughing, she said, “Let me go get that. Thank you again, lovely. I swear, you are the sweetest girl.” She patted my arm and then turned around, hurrying out of the kitchen.

I went back to the table for my yogurt. Unlike Dad, I loved to meet new people. Margie was a great person, and I was sure her son would be too, so there would be no worries about leaving them home alone.

After going for a run, coming back home to shower, and eating lunch, I took a nap but wasn’t quite sure when I’d fallen asleep. By the time I awoke, it was dark outside, nothing but the streetlights glowing outside my window.

I scrambled out of bed, going for my cellphone on the desk. I snatched it up, seeing two missed calls from Theo and one from Izzy. A text accompanied Izzy’s call.

Izzy: My dad is acting weird. He seems happier….

I blinked at her message. No smiley face. No big, fat LOL. No second text message, harassing me about what I was doing or why I wasn’t replying (which was normally the case.)

Was she onto us? Onto me? He seemed happier how? Since when? So many questions ran through my mind. I felt my heart racing, palms becoming clammy.

I disregarded her message, plugging the thought in the back of my head to make sure I returned her text. I went to my call log and saw Mr. Black(2). Two missed calls.

Walking towards my window, I saw that his driveway was empty, his home dark. Only the porch light illuminated. Picking my phone back up, I pressed the call button, and the phone rang twice before he responded. “Hello?” His voice was heavy, the way he sounded when he’d had a few drinks.

“Theo? Are you back?”

“Got back about two hours ago. What happened earlier? Called you twice. Wanted to see if you wanted to catch drinks with me somewhere?”

“I was asleep,” I informed him. “I don’t know when I fell asleep, but I was clearly exhausted.” I looked towards my alarm clock. 10:18 P.M.

“Where are you drinking at?”

“Rykes.”

I frowned. “Ew. Rykes.”

He laughed. “Come meet me.”

“Rykes isn’t really my scene.” And it really wasn’t. The place was full of bikers, their “old ladies”, and random men that loved picking a fight. None of them had respect for outsiders. So imagine someone like me, walking right into a place like that, and then sitting with an older man that was clearly into me. The thought of it made my skin crawl.

“Shit, you’re right. I’d hate to beat a motherfucker’s ass for touching or looking at you the wrong way.” He paused, and I don’t know what it was about his voice—perhaps it was the protectiveness, or maybe the possessiveness—but it made my insides swirl. Warmth hit me like a soft wave, drifting throughout each part of me, making me weak.

“So where should we meet?” I asked. My voice faltered. It was feeble. He caught the flattery in my response, laughing.

“Wanna check out my new place?”

“You already have a key?”

“I’m not supposed to officially go in and check things out until next week, but I know the landlord. He trusts me. Gave me a key as soon as I signed the lease.”

A smile touched my lips. “Sure. I can meet you there.”

“Okay, Little Knight. I’ll text you the address. See you in twenty?”

“Twenty it is.”

I arrived at a complex called Remy Place.

Theo was already waiting for me at the front door, and as I pulled up and parked, he dangled a bottle of vodka in front of him, leaning against the wall. I shook my head and laughed, shutting my car off.

“Saved you a drink… or ten,” he said, grinning. Oh, Lord. He was going to get a kick out of bringing alcohol around me now. I was sure he remembered me downing that cognac and then riding him like I had no care in the world.

Stepping out the car, I walked towards him, and he opened his arms. I sauntered right into his welcoming embrace, and he sighed, groaning as he held me tight. “Missed you, Knight.”

I smiled against his chest, wrapping my arms around his neck and curling my fingers into the edges of his hair. When he slanted his head back, I kissed him first, like the desperate girl I always became when it came to him. He wasn’t even gone a full day, but it felt like an eternity.

“I see you missed me too,” he chuckled behind the kiss.

“I did,” I mumbled. “So much.” His smile disappeared when he looked down at me, pressing those smooth lips on mine again. The kiss was fervent, heated, and delightful. I sank deeper into his hard, masculine body, absorbing the taste of scotch on his tongue, attaching myself to his entire front half.