Page 50 of Out on a Limb
Even before her grandmother died, the garden was simply a tool to use for his own benefit. Something to parade in front of his friends.
Like a car or a house.
It was nothing more than a way to flaunt his status.
To impress anyone and everyone he could.
“I don’t know.” Alan’s voice barely carried through the air as I kept moving, pulling Collette along the narrow path between the line of hedges and the back fence line.
Collette’s feet started to drag, slowing me down as her hand tugged on mine.
“Shouldn’t we stay and try to see what he’s doing?” Her voice was low enough I had to move closer to hear the words.
“If we get caught here the shit’s going to hit the fan.”
“I don’t know if you noticed this, but Alan realized I took a bunch of papers from his office.” She edged in even closer. “The shit’s already going to hit the fan.” Collette huffed out a breath. “I might be out of a job tomorrow morning.” Her voice broke a little on the last word.
Her lower lip barely quivered and her eyes shined where they stared up into mine.
Sadness.
And it cut into me in a way other people’s emotions usually didn’t.
Normally someone else’s feelings were just that. Their own.
Theirs to feel. Theirs to deal with.
But Collette’s sadness seemed to soak into me. Weigh on me like it was mine.
I braced my hands on her face, keeping my eyes on hers. “That won’t happen. I promise.”
“You can’t promise me that.” She sniffed a little, the small sound twisting the emotion that wasn’t my own and driving it deeper.
“I can.” I would promise her anything in this moment.
And then follow through.
Whatever it took to take away the pain in her eyes.
“I will fix this, Collette.” I meant it.
I would make sure her grandfather and his cronies didn’t take this place down.
And it wouldn’t be just for myself.
Collette’s blue eyes held mine as she nodded. “Okay.”
She believed me.
Trusted that I could do what I said I would.
I thought I didn’t have anything to offer her. Thought Collette’s charmed life meant we were too far apart to ever be together.
But maybe I was wrong.
And maybe that changed things.
She was so close, the soft curves of her body pressed tight against me in a way that I couldn’t ignore, especially now that the barrier I kept between us was crumbling.
