Down Fall (Fallen Duet 2)

“I’m due my break, figured I could accost you to come and sit with me.” I shrugged as I stopped next to the pass and put an order in for Cade’s burger and an omelet for me—the only thing I seemed to be able to keep down right now.

“But I’m here with…” He trailed off, and I turned to see where he was looking. Moira’s hands were flailing in the air, and Brody was listening to everything she said. Neither of them had noticed Cade wasn’t sitting there anymore.

I grabbed two glasses, filled them with soda, and passed them to Cade. “Carry these for me.” He wrapped his hands around the glasses, and I hooked my thumb over my shoulder. “Follow me.”

He knew the way to the back room, but he needed a distraction, probably about as much as I did. It wasn’t his fault that his dad was away all the time—or that he was a lying cheat or that…

Or that I loved him.

Shit. I was meant to be distracting Cade, not getting inside my own head.

We pushed into the break room and took our normal seats, the silence washing over us, but the longer we were in here, the more his shoulders seemed to relax. “So…” he started. “That’s what happens when Dad’s home.”

“Hmmm.” I was being noncommittal. I was channeling the inner me who let someone else talk and didn’t put my own emotions into it.

“It’s been like that since I was a little kid.” He huffed out a breath and placed his palms on the table, spreading his fingers out. “I wish they’d break up already.”

My soda went down the wrong way and spurted up my nose. Oh, the burn. I was doing that weird laugh/cough thing, and all the while, tears ran down my face.

“Crap.” Cade tapped my back a couple of times. “Sorry.”

I waved my hand in the air. “It’s okay.” I coughed a last time. “Just went down the wrong way.” I hadn’t expected him to say what he had, and even though a part of me liked that he’d voiced his opinion, he was saying it to the one person who shouldn’t have been listening.

“I thought study sessions were over?” a deep voice said.

We both looked up at the door and stared at Sal. He had three plates balanced on two hands and a grin on his face.

“It is,” Cade said to him. “Mom and Dad are fighting.”

“Ahhh.” Sal nodded his head like he understood it. “Makes sense.” He walked over to us, placed the plates on the table, and sat in the last empty chair. “So, Cade, you wanna make some money this summer again?”

I frowned as I picked up my fork and stabbed the plain omelet. I was starting to really hate these things. All I ever ate were eggs and more eggs.

“Really?” Cade asked, his eyes alert and hopeful. “I can come work here again?”

Wait. Had I missed something?

Sal shrugged and picked up his burger. “Yeah.” And that

was the end of that because then he was stuffing his face, and no one talked to Sal while he was eating. He was like a dog with a bone, not letting up until every piece of food was gone off his plate. And apparently, now I had to work with the son of the person who I was in love with, who also happened to be his married dad. Crap. Today was going from bad to worse.

We all ate in silence, and I couldn’t help but wonder if that was better than being out there with an arguing Brody and Moira. The silence allowed thoughts to come forth that needed to stay hidden. Things like, did Cade really mean he wanted his mom and dad to break up? Were they breaking up? My hopes peaked and then dashed again as I remembered what Brody had said to me.

I was becoming one of those girls. The ones who waited around for any scraps that the person they loved would throw at them, and I hated it. Something had to change, something had to give, but then his voice rang out again. Why was he everywhere my thoughts were?

“Cade?”

“Dad.” Cade wiped his mouth, all of his burger having been demolished and the fries mostly gone.

“Sorry about that, son.” He flicked his gaze over to Sal but refused to look at me. I wasn’t sure if I was glad he didn’t or sad. “Sal,” he greeted.

“Brody.”

A silent conversation took place between them, and it wasn’t until I stood, the legs of my chair scraping against the floor, that either of them looked away.

“Head out front to your mom, Cade,” Brody said, finally looking at me. I hated being the center of his attention, but god, I couldn’t deny I craved it too.

“Thanks for the burger, Lola.” Cade placed his hand on my shoulder and smiled at me. “You’re the best.”