Page 48 of Love Me Boldly

“What’d you tell her?”

“Nothing. Said I didn’t know, which isn’t a lie because if he does have a job at the prison, I don’t know what it is.”

She quirked a half-smile, but the joke fell flat.

“She’ll come here looking for him.” It’d been almost four years since she showed up. She probably needed money again.

“She also asked about you.”

That was worse. “Considering I gave her money all those years ago, that doesn’t surprise me entirely.”

“Yeah. I’m torn between being glad she’s still alive, hopeful I can maybe convince her into rehab if she does show up and wanting to move to Alaska so she can’t find us and tear out our hearts again.”

All valid feelings.

“Alaska feels extreme,” I quipped. Caroline and I didn’t have much, but we had each other. She had this restaurant, I had my future, and we both had our sarcasm.

She chuckled. “I just thought you should know, in case she does show up and asks about your dad. I wouldn’t have figured she knew about the accident, but I also have no idea where she’s been, so she could still learn if she tried hard enough.”

“She wouldn’t even have to try. All she has to do is stumble into Golden Eye, and she’d hear it all.”

“And find Mick,” she suggested.

“And find Mick,” I agreed. And that would bring its own set of problems. The man had wanted her, but he beat his wife and son. In a dream world, Lydia would go to rehab, discover the error of her ways, get sober, come back here and help Caroline run The Grille, and then stay far,faraway from Mick.

But I’d given up dreams a long time ago, and this mess with Graham only confirmed why there was no point in having any anyway.

FOURTEEN

HOLLY

Shoot me your address. I’ll be there as soon as we get in.

I stared at the text for far too long after it came in. Graham had already landed, and while I’d planned for him to come to my place so we could talk, I changed my mind.

Being able to leave his place would be easier than trying to kick him out of mine, so I sent him a text a half hour before he was supposed to get back in town.

I’ll meet you at yours.

So you can run when you want?

His response came almost instantaneously, which meant he’d been staring at his phone. I didn’t bother responding. He’d learn soon enough.

The air had a warm thickness to it, odd for late March, but it was nice enough I didn’t have to cage myself in my Jimmy. Instead, when a newer model black Honda pulled up, I was already pacing back and forth on the sidewalk in front of his building.

“Hey,” he called as he climbed out of the back seat.

The trunk popped open at the same time the driver’s window rolled down, and Tanner poked his head out. “You should listen to him, Holly! Piper’s lying, and I never liked her anyway.”

“Shut up, Tan,” Graham grumbled and slapped the button to close the door, although he did it with a ferociousness, like he was pissed he couldn’t slam it closed or shut Tanner’s mouth.

“I speak the truth!” Tanner called out as his window started to rise, and he drove away.

“I was worried you’d stand me up.” Graham had a large green duffel bag flung over his shoulder. He held the small hand strap of his backpack loosely at his side.

“I said I’d be here.”

“And yet you don’t look thrilled about it.” My eyes widened in surprise at the anger in his tone. I couldn’t exactly blame him considering how I treated him this last week. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “It was a crappy week, and thinking about you was only part of it.”

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