Page 70 of On the Run
It’s a… a relatively minor personal problem that has nothing whatsoever to do with you, okay?
I trust you, Beale.
I trust you, Beale.
I trust you, Beale.
Except he didn’t. He hadn’t.
Not with this.
And what’s more, he’d lied.
He knew—knew—that Jayd had been part of my family. He knew Jayd was someone I cared about, and he’d kept the whole thing from me.
He’d let me fall for him… and he’d played me.
You’re smart, Beale. No one has the right to make you feel less than.
The irony was bitter. No offhanded comment from anyone in this town had ever made me
feel as foolish as Toby had.
“Beale?” Gage frowned up at me, phone still pressed to his ear, which was when I noticed that I’d stood up. “You okay?”
“Yeah, good. Never better. I’m gonna let you two deal with this. I need to go—”
I nodded toward the door, and then I headed in that direction without waiting for a reply.
“Wait.” Rafe hurried after me and caught my wrist. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost, and you’re not leaving until you talk to me. If you’re pissed at Jayd, nobody gets that better than I do, okay? Tell me—”
“No!” I yelled way louder than I’d intended to, shaking off Rafe’s restraining hand. “Just let me go, okay?”
All eyes in the place turned toward me, and I knew what they were thinking. Beale Goodman didn’t lose his temper. Beale Goodman never physically intimidated anyone. Beale Goodman was careful to use his words.
But Beale Goodman had never felt the way I currently felt either. Like I’d been fooled and betrayed. Like anger and helplessness were bubbling inside me, and I was coming out of my skin—
“I’ll see you guys later.” I turned and slammed my way out the door.
—like all the words in the Universe wouldn’t be enough to explain things, let alone fix them.
13
Toby
Help Me Hagatha
(Unsent)
Dear Aunt Hagatha:
I lied to my boyfriend and I feel like shit. Do I come clean, or—?
Still Me in Whispering Key
Dear Me,
You don’t actuallyhavea boyfriend, Toby. Probably because you lie to people. This is why we can’t have nice things.
