Page 15 of Bring You Back

For—“Me.”

Reyna brushes off the apology with a slight laugh. “Get dressed, doofus.” Before I can dodge, she ruffles my hair—a gesture I halfheartedly hate, then sprints out, munching on toast the whole way, expecting me to chase after her. I don’t satisfy the want, because I’m not always a satisfying guy.

I can’t help but think she knows, somewhere beneath the surface of what we are now, this thing, this thing that I’ve refused to label, could easily be washed away. But like me, she’s avoiding the truth as long as possible. The actual conversation. The real apology. She’s the most forgiving person I know. The most hopeful. But hope is cruel, and it will be her downfall one day. It was mine.

I’m in my shorts and stepping into my black slip-ons when I realize I’m humming an old song my late grandmother used to sing at holiday dinners. I think it’s called “Build Me Up Buttercup” and I wonder where the hell it’s coming from when the faint sound of Reyna’s voice registers from the moment she roused me from sleep.

“Did you call me buttercup?” I call out to her, amusement building in my voice.

Her head pops out from around the door frame. “Yep.” She smiles, pops back out of sight.

I laugh. “Okay then.” I give a last look out the window, catching what I can of the beach just beyond the trees, then meet her in the kitchen.

I don’t leave. I want to make sure Beaten Down Guy isn’t still here.

He is, because a door opens from the hall and Valerie’s voice rings out. She can have a whole conversation with herself on a good day, but this is just too specific. Reyna looks up from her sketchpad at the bar and meets my eyes as her mother barks orders.

“Scrub your tongue.Allof your tongue. Brush them good.Gagon it if you have to!” Her voice builds in volume as she draws near, rushing past me in a gust of strong, cheap perfume. A cough escapes my mouth and Reyna laughs, but Valerie either doesn’t hear or doesn’t care. “That man has the worst morning breath. It smells like something laid an egg in his mouth, then died, then the egg hatched and whatever was inside that died, too.”

I bite back a laugh as Reyna asks, “And what does he say about your alcohol breath?”

“Babe,” Valerie says with an incredulous laugh as she removes a bottle of wine from the fridge. “Alcohol is dessert compared to that shit.” She waves the bottle toward the hall, her shifted stare finally noticing me. “You staying for breakfast this time?”

Reyna gestures to the empty stove and counter space with raised brows. “What breakfast?”

Her mom returns the look as she pours a glass. “I can whip something up. Besides, Randall’s earned himself a good breakfast this morning. I’d say he has, too,” she adds with a raise of her filled glass to me before downing a gulp with a wink at Reyna.

“Mom!”

It’s safe to say we won last night.

“Oh, calm down,” Valerie chides between sips. “It’s not like any of ustriedbeing quiet.” She finishes off her glass and Reyna makes a sour face.

“It’s still early, Mom.”

“Now, none of that.” She stops Reyna from uttering the accusing A word that she loves to deny with a point of her finger. “I don’t know how many times I have to say I’m not an alcoholic.”A few times a week if your daughter has anything to say about it.“You want to see alcoholics? Look at that boy’s parents, that one who used to come around here with him.” She nods my way. “What’s his name? Money?”

“Banks,” Reyna corrects with a laugh, then looks at me. Her smile fades with the reminder of how much things have changed.

Something hard hits my shoulder and my jaw sets asRandallside checks me on his way to the bar, near Reyna. “Watch it.” My warning goes ignored, as expected, but I send it out anyway. We’re used to dealing with guys like him. The low-lives of the town. You start with your words, and when those fail, you move to your fists. I’ve punched a few of Valerie’s guys over the years. I’ve been punched back and would’ve gotten the shit beaten out of me on one occasion if Tommy hadn’t intervened.

Valerie does nothing to try to stop them. She just keeps bringing in more. Fortunately, for them, none have done anything to physically harm Reyna, but the sexual talk and catcalling we’ve heard thrown her way is just as bad. Fucking perverts.

This Randall guy is new. I’ve seen him around. If he knows what’s good for him, which is doubtful, he won’t be staying around here long.

I step up to the bar, providing a barrier between him and Reyna. My eyes watch him as his eyes watch her. She stands taller, almost daring him to say something to her. She doesn’t accept this bullshit, either.

We’re all quiet, waiting for a move or a word.

Finally, the creep says, “Up close, I see it.” His stare roams Reyna’s body before he tosses a smile to Valerie. “She looks just like you.”

“Practically twins.” Valerie grins fondly at Reyna.

“I like to hope I look more like my dad,” Reyna spites her mom. We all hear the emphasis.

Valerie glares. “You don’t.”

“You got your mom all over ya.” Randall emits a loud laugh, but it’s not loud enough to block out the cracking sound his hand makes as it slaps Reyna on the ass.

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