Page 38 of The Perfect Steal

I got up from the chair, walking over to the counter while glancing toward the door. If her mom had groceries still in the car, she should have come in by now, or we should have been out helping.

“So how do I help her?” This was all new territory. When I tried helping other people with their problems, they usually didn’t appreciate the effort. Then again, my methods were usually backward. I’d seen how much Jake liked Penny but knew he wasn’t going to ask her to prom because of his past, so I asked her, forcing him to hate me for a few days, but then he manned up and made it to the dance with her.

But Brynn felt more fragile than that, and I didn’t think forcing her and her mom into the same room to hash out their differences would be a good idea.

“Honestly, just be there for her,” John said.

I frowned, not sure what he meant by that, and he laughed.

“Text her. Let her know you’re there to talk. Or are youjusta group partner?”His grin pulled out my defenses, but I hadn’t really thought anyone else could see my feelings for Brynn Miller.

“Well, do I need to track her down,” I asked, waving to the stairs where she’d disappeared, “and see if she’s okay?”

“If you’re up for it, she’s in the room upstairs, second door on the left.”

A few seconds of hesitation led to me taking the stairs two at a time. Once outside her door, my heart was pounding in my ears. I used my first two knuckles and knocked twice.

“Brynn?” I said softly.

No answer.

“Brynn, it’s me, Nate. Do you, um, want to talk?” That usually meant discussing feelings, and I wasn’t sure I could be fully trusted to keep my own to my chest if I had to talk to her extensively.

“The door’s open,” I finally heard from inside.

Pushing down on the latch, I stepped into the room, surprised by how dim it was even though it was midday. With the curtains drawn, I could barely make out the form under the covers.

I sat on the end of the bed, afraid I was going to mess something up. “Are you all right? I mean, is there something I can do to cheer you up?” I didn’t know this girl as well as I wanted, but did ice cream make her happy? Watching sappy shows?Please say it isn’t sappy shows.

She sniffed and stretched out her legs. “I’ll be fine.”

“I know. Is it something your mom did?”

A soft sob came from the head of the bed, and I hoped I hadn’t said something triggering.

“My mom invited me,” she said in between sobs, “to go with her. Why would she just change her mind without telling me?”

I wasn’t sure if she was done talking, and a long pause stretched out between us.

I finally broke the silence. “I’m not really sure about that. Why didn’t you ask her?” I knew I hadn’t always been as strong as I was trying to tell Brynn to be, especially when it had to do with my dad, but this was the simplest question to ask. “It might seem scary, given what you’ve gone through with your mom in the past little while, but a conversation might clear up some things.”

That picture of forcing the two of them into a room was coming back to me now. But I was no family therapist. I’d just have to try to help from the dugout.

“You’re right,” she said, giving me that thrill of actually helping. “But what if I don’t like the answer?”

Now that was the key question. Asking wasn’t the really scary part; it was the answer that scared even me when I thought about confronting my father about how much he’d changed.

“Then you can call me and tell me all about it. Because I’m here, Brynn.” The words caused a bit of emotion to rise in my throat. I hadn’t realized until now that I was in full-on crush mode with the girl hidden beneath the covers. “Maybe we can be each other’s support system through this.”

She sat up, wiping beneath her eyes. “Thanks, Nate. I really appreciate that.”

“Is there anything I can do for you right now?”

With a quick shake of the head, she said, “I’ll be okay. But we’ll coordinate another time to work on the assignment, right? I’m not in the right mental state to work on it tonight.”

I shook my head. “Of course not. I mean, yes, we’ll figure out a time this week. I’ll leave you to, um, yeah.” I wasn’t sure how to finish that and instead stood, ready to leave the room before I said something off.

Once at the door, I heard her say, “Thanks again, Nate.”

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