Page 34 of Truck Me

She shrugs. “Just trying to figure out if I look like them or … You know … My father.”

“You’re beautiful, Rayne. It doesn’t matter who you look like. You are a beautiful girl.”

“Grandma says I look like my mom, and I guess my Aunt Char too. But I have brown eyes. I must get those from my dad, right?”

The way she says that causes me to pause. She’s staring at me like she’s studying my face, looking for clues.

It makes me think she knows.

Or at least suspects that I could be her father.

But how? Hell, I don’t even know if I’m her father. Only that it’s a possibility. Carol died before we could figure it out.

I snap my eyes closed and shake my head. Rayne doesn’t know anything. I’m imagining the look on her face. Nothing more.

No one knows about the fling I had with Carol. No. One.

I clear my throat and shift my eyes back to the bike. “That’s possible.”

“I hope so.” She continues. “I like to think I get something from him. I like my brown eyes. I want that to be what I share with him.”

My hands shake and my stomach drops to the floor. She can’t know. There’s no fucking way. But everything she says makes it sound like she’s fishing for information or clues that point to me.

Or maybe it’s my paranoia getting to me. I’ve struggled for ten years over my decision to not say anything about the brief fling I had with Carol. I wanted to do what was right for Rayne and her family. They were hurting, and they didn’t need someone like me making it worse.

I’m only feeling this way because Charlotte has me all tied up in knots. Her presence in my life—and my desire to claim her—is stirring up old wounds. Wounds that I need to keep buried deep inside me.

That’s all this is.

The alarm on my phone goes off, reminding me it’s time to head inside to clean up. I have that damn hair appointment today that Mrs. Engle scheduled for me, even though I didn’t want it.

I swipe my phone from the counter and silence the alarm. “Alright, kid. I’ve gotta go. You wanna come back later and help me?”

She nods. “Can I go to Grams’ house instead of home?”

“As long as it’s okay with your grandma. I’m sure Grams would love to have you. I’ll text them and find out.”

I send off a couple of text messages before I take Rayne to the sink to wash up. Both Lois and Grams get back to me right away and say it’s fine. Lois informs me that the home care nurse is still at the house helping with Jim anyway. She’d prefer Rayne not be there to see him in this state.

Once we’re cleaned up, I walk Rayne to Grams’ house and tell her I’ll come back for her later.

As I’m walking back to my house, I can’t stop thinking about the things Rayne asked me.

The Weber family has been through enough over the years. They don’t need me complicating matters by telling them the secret I’ve held close to my heart for far too long.

It’s also another reminder of why I need to stay as far away from Charlotte as I can. No matter how much I want her, I can’t have her. It would be a betrayal to both her and Carol.

And I can’t tell her my reasons for pushing her away.

If the Webers ever found out, they’d never forgive me.

* * *

An hour later, I’m pulling up outside Mrs. Engle’s hair salon for the appointment she forced on me. I would’ve preferred to stay home on my day off, but Saturdays are the only days that wouldn’t interfere with my work schedule. At least she knows that much about me.

Aside from not wanting to deal with Mrs. Engle’s wrath if I didn’t show up, I do need a haircut. My hair is starting to curl at the ends and is tickling my ears.

I grumble when I see the truck in the space next to me. Tanner Koch. Of course that fucker would be here right before me. I’m already in a shitty mood, so let’s go ahead and make it worse.

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