Page 22 of Phantom
“Colin?”
I looked up into Tess’ concerned, gray eyes. All of my senses snapped back into place, along with remembering the reason why I couldn’t. Nothing good happened on the other side of letting myself get attached to Tess. Only pain for us both.
“I don’t think we should,” I forced myself to say. “I won’t be here long.”
Instead of the look of annoyance Tess had gotten when I turned her down before, now she just looked heartbroken. “Maybe it doesn’t have to be that way. We can figure it out.”
“No.” I stood up and pushed past her, putting distance between us. “I can’t stay here. This isn’t a good idea.”
She stared at me for a minute, and then her expression went back to knitted eyebrows and pursed lips. “It’s my dad. He got to you today. Did he tell you to stay away from me? Did he bring up Taylor?”
I thought of Nick’s desire for me to be the one who saved Tess from his feared path of loneliness for her. “It’s not that.”
She scoffed. “You already lied to me once. Why should I believe you?”
I shook my head. “You shouldn’t.”
She glared at me for a long time before storming past me down the hallway, and a few moments later, I heard her door slam. I was hopeful that I’d effectively hammered a nail in that coffin. I could see myself falling into Tess again, and there were millions of reasons why that was the absolutelastthing that either of us needed.
Chapter Eight
Tess
Colin and I didn’t say much to each other over the next week. It wasn’t that I was angry, more that I was confused. He continued to work on his bike, sometimes with my dad, sometimes alone, and while they seemed to be bonding, the wedge between Colin and me only seemed to be getting larger.
I didn’t understand.
Before my dad showed up, Colin was gung-ho. If my dad hadn’t shown up when he did, we probably would have ended up going all the way. It made sense to think that my dad had something to do with his sudden reluctance, but the looks didn’t stop, the heat between us didn’t stop, and he only seemed to be trying harder to resist it.
Had my dad developed Taylor’s same penchant for scaring off men who I was involved with?
After a shower, I walked out of my bedroom, past the empty guest room, and into the living room, where I expected to see Colin, but he wasn’t there. There was, however, a plate of eggs, fried potatoes, and fried ham sitting on the kitchen island. It was still steaming, along with the cup of coffee that sat next to it. I walked over and opened the front door, grabbed the plate and coffee, and walked outside toward the garage.
Colin was lying on the floor, working on his bike, and Lockjaw was curled up in the corner. When the pit bull noticed me, he hopped up and ran over, reinstating some of my confidence that I was still his number one, and I sat on the ground to eat my breakfast and watch Colin as he worked. If he noticed me come out, he didn’t react, only continued twisting and turning his tools.
I was nearly done with my breakfast when Colin pulled away from his bike and finally looked over at me. “Good morning.”
I smiled. “Morning. How’s it going?”
Colin nodded, putting some of his tools away and grabbing others with an intention that I didn’t understand. “Pretty good. It’s functioning again. It’s just cosmetic stuff now.”
“That’s good.” I held up my plate. “Thanks for the breakfast. It’s delicious.”
“You’re welcome. I’ve been waiting for the opportunity, but you always wake up before me.”
“Did you used to cook for Caid?”
“I had to. Our mom didn’t cook, and then when I finally got us out of her house, it was totally up to me.” He used a cloth to wipe his head free of sweat. “Although, on Caid’s healthy days, he made me let him cook. He preferred baking. Making fresh scones or cinnamon rolls. They were amazing, too.”
“They sound good.” I smiled, imagining a domestic Colin in a frilly pink apron, baking with his brother. I’d pay to see the sight. “Have you heard from him yet?”
Colin shook his head. “Not yet. I did get an admittance report from the hospital, though, so he’s there. I just don’t have any additional information.”
“Can’t you call?” I asked.
Colin went quiet for a minute as he considered the question. “I’m afraid that if someone’s tracking me…”
“Right.” I couldn’t imagine the stress that the situation was putting him under. Maybe that was why he was so resistant to me. “Well, hopefully, he’ll reach out soon.”
