Page 11 of Make Her Mine

I shrug. “I’m just saying we were a hell of a team when it came to Alex.”

She frowns.

But why did I say that? I could have just not said that.

She’s right that we were kind of getting along. We were agreeing to hate Zach together at least. And she’d thrown me a lifeline by agreeing to tell Zach that I just didn’t know she and her boyfriend had recently broken up rather than outing me as a liar.

Why do I always want to poke her? Because this topic does poke her and I know it. It riles her up. Makes her mad at me.

“Jefferson,” she says, her voice low. “I do not forgive you for Alex. Drop it.”

“There isn’t anything to forgive,” I say. “That all turned out great. We were great. Ask anyone. His parents. His teachers. His coaches. His counselors. Him.”

She’s gritting her teeth and glaring at me now.

But that’s why I poke her about this. Because I want to hear her admit that we were both a part of Alex’s success. I want her to acknowledge it.

Alex is a bright, big-hearted, happy kid with a future full of possibilities. Now. But he hasn’t always been. He certainly wasn’t when we met him. He’d been a fifteen-year-old, angry, grief-stricken, scared kid who’d showed up at a foster home in our town after his mom had been killed by her boyfriend in their home.

We’ve had to track him down after he’s run away from home.

We’ve given him rides to and from his therapy appointments.

We’ve sat up with him when he’s had suicidal thoughts.

We sat by his hospital bed together when he tried it with pills once.

It’s been almost two years since all of that happened.

Now he has friends. He smiles. He lets Harlow hug him. He texts me every other day.

It was a long road getting there, especially that first year, but he made it. We made it.

And five weeks ago, Alex left for Colorado. He’s moved into his room on campus, started his summer class, and is getting ready for football camp in preparation for the fall.

He’s got a very bright future ahead.

And Harlow is pissed at me, because I’m the one who got the scout here to look at him, encouraged Alex to consider Colorado, and then drove him to campus.

She blames me for him being so far away from her. Just like she blames me for Graham leaving Sapphire Falls. And Ginny leaving. And her brother Austin leaving.

“Well, you do like sending people away from Sapphire Falls,” she says. “Feel free to turn that energy on Zach.”

I sigh. I do not like sending people away from Sapphire Falls. It’s just that sometimes that’s what’s best for them.

“I will,” I say, deciding not to press this bigger topic any further right now.

“But you might not enjoy this as much,” she says, “I mean, I don’t like Zach. I don’t want him to stay here. And you seem to especially like getting rid of people I care about.”

“You know that’s not?—”

“’Bye, Jefferson,” she says, turning on her heel and heading for the door. “You can definitely leave. My house. My front yard. My life.” She pulls the screen door open, but pauses to look back at me. “Of all the people you’ve convinced that Sapphire Falls has nothing to offer, why haven’t you ever taken that advice and gotten the hell out of here?”

But it’s not like she’s really wanting or waiting for an answer. She steps inside, letting the screen door slap shut. Then, for good measure, she slams the inside door as well.

She probably also turns the lock.

Yeah, the two of us should totally pretend date. That’s a great idea.

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