“What’s the deal with him anyway?” I ask.
Henry shakes his head. “Her story to tell, son. Connor, though, he’s always coming into the bar and harassing her.”
“I’ll talk to him,” I blurt without thinking.
“You do know that if you get busted fighting, shit’s going to hit the fan, right?” Chad asks.
I run my hand over my buzzcut and sigh. I know he’s right, but the thought of this guy constantly giving her shit pisses me the hell off. “What about when we’re not here?”
“Jet looks out for her,” Henry assures me. “I made sure he knew.”
“Thought it was her story to tell?” I mouth off before I can think better of it. “I’m sorry. I just…” My voice trails off.
“He’s all up in his feelings for Shay.” Chad laughs.
“It is her story, Ford. However, I needed to know that she was going to be okay working there. Jet lives in this town. Jet knew the gist of it. I just filled in a few blanks, clarified a few things.”
“My sister, Shayne’s mom, she wasn’t a good mother. We’ve tried to take care of Shayne as much as we could. She spent a lot of time here when growing up. Now, she’s determined to make it on her own. To build a better life for herself,” Joan says softly.
Our conversation last night comes to mind. She’s not sure she’s ready for a family. She’s working on her. That must be what she meant. I’m glad Henry and Joan are there for her. It sounds like they’re all she has.
That knowledge sits in my stomach like sour milk. I can’t explain it, but I want to be there for her. Only, I’m leaving in a few days and then going back to base. I’m not who she needs, no matter how badly I want to be.
Chapter 6
Shayne
I just got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around my body when I hear the knock on the door. I grin from ear to ear and race to answer, not even caring I’m dripping water from my hair, and my feet are still wet. The moment I throw the lock and pull open the door, my cousin flies through the entrance and slams against my body.
“Shay!” Cassie squeals in my ear, all arms and legs as she plasters herself against me, and I struggle to hold up my towel.
“Let me shut the door,” I say, reaching around her and securing the lock. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Me too,” she beams. At nineteen, Cassie is a younger, more feminine version of her brother. Her long, dark hair is pulled up in a messy bun, and her hazel eyes shine with a youthful excitement I never experienced. The world is her oyster, ripe for the taking.
By her age, I was jaded, working full-time at the local grocery store and trying to avoid my mom. She’d beg to borrow money, insisting she’d pay me back the next week. Only, I knew that’d never happen. She never paid me back and didn’t seem to care. The money was already spent before it even changed hands, most likely on something I didn’t want to know about. I’d blissfully tell myself it was for rent or the electric bill, but I was naïve like that at times.
“Let me run and throw on some clothes,” I tell her, leaving her standing in the kitchen-and living-room combination.
I move to the only bedroom in the apartment. Basically, this place is three rooms, the third being a small bathroom. But it’s home and works for me.
After throwing on a pair of skinny jeans and a fitted tee with Jet’s logo on the chest, I head back to where I left my cousin.
“So, rumor has it, you have a thing for the hottie sleeping in my bed,” Cass sings the moment I step into the room.
“What? Who told you that?” I ask, trying to divert attention.
“Chad. You know he’s like a teenage girl when it comes to gossip,” she replies, her laser-focused eyes zeroed in on me. “So? Tell me about him,” she adds with a grin.
I roll my eyes and plop down on the old striped couch beside her, finger-combing my wet hair. “What’s to tell? He’s a friend of Chad’s, and he’s visiting for a week. End of story.” I make sure to keep my focus elsewhere, so she can’t see the lies. Cassie, while four years younger than me, has always been able to read me like a book.
“Right,” she hums, clearly not believing my story for a second. “I heard he wants to ask you out.”
After a few long seconds, I turn in my seat and face my cousin. “He did say that, but I don’t know, Cass. He doesn’t live here. It would be, like, six days, and he’d be gone.”