Page 78 of Trophy
And she suddenly saw Rob—the real Rob—who had finally asked for her help. Wet and half naked and barefoot and as miserable as she’d ever seen him. He might be strong and competent and loved by everyone and unshakablysolid.
But he wasn’t really that different from her. Right now. Always. Flawed and weak and sometimes scared and unable to get by entirely on his own. Dependent.
Human. Just like her.
She could see it so clearly as he stood in the rain, genuinely needing her to help him. The revelation rocked her.
Her clothes were so wet that she might as well have been naked too, and anything pretty or polished about her appearance was washed away by the cold streams of water rushing down her skin.
She was no longer Arthur’s perfect trophy wife. And she wasn’t the friendly, hardworking waitress at Dora’s. She wasn’t some pretty, stylish newcomer that Rob had managed to win, much to the town’s bemusement. She wasn’t young and gorgeous and vulnerable and completely dependent—waiting to be carried off in a strong man’s arms.
She was just her. Allison. Wet and cold and scared and confused. And wanting desperately to be here to help him when he needed it.
And Rob was seeing her—actuallyseeingher. Who she really was beneath all of her surfaces. And he was reaching out his hand. “God, Allison,” he said hoarsely, his voice mingling with the sound of the rain. “I really need your help.”
She closed the space between them so she could take his hand in hers. “I’m here. What’s the matter?” She really had no idea what the emergency was, but she knew it must be bad.
“It’s Cali. She’s… Just come see.”
She walked up his driveway with him, clinging to his hand, and she knew she’d been right about something.
And wrong about everything else.
Rob saw who she was. He knew who she was. And he wanted her—needed her—anyway.
27
When Allison cameinto Rob’s house—drenched and shivering—she saw what was wrong with Cali.
The girl had been roughed up pretty badly. Her hair was tangled around her face, and her shirt was torn at the neckline. Her cheekbone was scarily red, her eye already starting to swell shut. And she was holding one of her forearms against her chest, like it hurt to move it.
She was huddled on Rob’s couch, tearstains on her cheeks.
Allison ran over to her immediately, crouching down beside the couch. “Oh my God!” she gasped. “What happened?”
“You’re all wet,” Cali said weakly, a very faint smile on her lips.
Allison made a choking sound and reached over to push the girl’s hair back from her eyes. Then she turned and looked over her shoulder at Rob, who was approaching with a couple of towels in his hands.
He offered one to Allison. “It was that… boyfriend of hers. I think she’s got a sprained wrist and might have a cracked rib.”
“Oh my God!” Allison quickly dried her face and hands. “We should take her to the emergency room.”
“I was going to,” Rob said, his voice still hoarse, although he looked a little more normal than he had out in the rain. “But I called Dee, and she said she was coming right over, and she’d take her herself.”
Allison felt kind of sick at this piece of news. “Are you okay for now?” she asked Cali softly. “Can you wait?”
“Yeah. Everything hurts, but I think it’s going to for a while. I’ll wait for Mom.”
Allison’s chest ached as she smoothed the girl’s hair again and rose to her feet. “I’m going to get you some ice for that eye while we wait.”
Rob walked with her into the kitchen, meeting her eyes when she stopped near the refrigerator. “I know,” he said, very softly so Cali wouldn’t hear. “I should have just taken her right away. But she’s only fifteen, and she’s not my daughter. I don’t actually have any rights where she’s concerned.”
“I know you don’t. You did the only thing you could. Is Dee in any… fit state to deal with this?”
Rob gave a half shrug. “I hope so. She sounded okay when we talked. She hadn’t been drinking, at least.”
“Well, that’s good.” Allison reached up to cup his cheek, since his face was so strained and the shadows under his eyes so dark. “Are you okay, baby?”
