Maybe Aunt Connie’s place, no that wouldn’t work either.
I could always make up a spot for him on my couch. My apartment was only one bedroom but I could probably afford something bigger if I picked up a few more shifts.
“Earth to Cora,” Beckett’s voice broke through my thoughts. “Are you done staring at the horizon?”
Beck and Marley were staring at me as I blinked the thoughts away. “Yeah. Sorry, guys.” I forced another smile. “Let’s catch a few more and call it a day.”
For the next forty-five minutes, I focused on correcting Marley’s foot position and challenging Beckett with more advanced tricks. Once we finally made it back to shore, the sun was completely up.
“Same Bat time on Monday?” Marley asked, toweling off her hair.
A real smile pulled at my lips. Did I mention how awesome this kid was? What sixteen year old referenced the 1960’s Batman tv show? She was totally born in the wrong era.
“Same bat time, same bat channel, kiddo.”
I watched as they changed out of their wetsuits and caught Beck wincing when he bent to pick up his backpack. The bruising was clearly worse than he was letting on.
“Beck,” I said quietly while Marley was distracted with her phone. “You know you can call me, right? Anytime. My number hasn’t changed.”
He didn’t meet my eyes. “Yeah, I know.”
“I mean it. Day or night.”
He slung his backpack over one shoulder. “I know.”
Marley looked up from her phone. “My mom’s here.” She hesitated, then turned to Beckett. “Do you want a ride to school? She wouldn’t mind.”
The question hung awkwardly in the air. We all knew Beckett would never accept the offer, especially not from Marley.
“I’m good,” he said, already backing away. “See you Monday, Cora.”
Marley’s face fell slightly as she watched him go.
I knew how she felt, it killed me to see him in pain, too. “I’ll figure something out.”
She forced a water smile as she wrapped her arms around me. Damn it. I hated seeing her upset.
“It’ll be okay. Trust me.”
“Okay.” She pulled back and wiped at her cheeks.
“I’ll see you on Monday.” I patted her back then tipped my head in the direction of her mom’s waiting SUV.
I stood there until she was safely inside her mother’s car, then turned to catch Beckett’s retreating back as he disappeared around the corner of the beach access path.
The weight of failure was like a vice around my heart. There had to be a way to help him without making things worse. I just didn’t know what it was.
Sighing, I gathered my things.
I could only focus on one problem at a time.
The first was getting my ass to work and making enough tips to pay the electric bill.
Next, I’d figure out how the hell I was going to save a kid who didn’t want to be saved.
Chapter 2
Chief