I had a shift tonight.
My eyes opened, and without a second thought, I called Rossy.
“Darling, there you are,” he breathed, relief heavy in his accent.
I smiled at my lap. “Hey, boss man.”
“The girls are frantic. I’ve managed to keep them at bay, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to hold them off for much longer. Sarah nearly sent Michael on a manhunt for you last night.”
“I was with Hayes last night,” I admitted, glancing up the stairs. Michael was probably going to come over soon to start the restraining order process.
“Yes, I know. He stopped by yesterday afternoon.”
“Listen, Rossy…I know this is a hard ask and I know the town is going crazy without my coffee, but I need another day.”
“What about that is a hard ask?” When I didn’t give him an answer, he gave me one. “Of course, darling. Take all the time you need.”
My bottom lip trembled, my next words fumbling from my lips. “There’s something I have to tell you, boss man, but I’m not ready to.”
“Then don’t. I’ll be here to listen when you’re ready,” he replied.
I didn’t have the guts to even try to conjure up how his face would twist in a mix of anger and regret when he saw my bruise for the first time. That’s why I needed time to prepare to watchthe guilt weigh heavy on his shoulders. He’d left me on my couch with a cup of tea and my favorite movie playing. He thought I was safe. This would eat at him, and I knew him well enough to know there was no way for me to stop it. Selfishly, I wasn’t ready for that. Rossy had done so much for me. He was the father I never had. Yeah, I got on his nerves and he got on mine, but we loved each other. “You have to promise me that you’ll be nice to yourself,” I said, my voice unsteady and quiet.
On the other end of the line, he was quiet.
He remained quiet until Hayes came back down the stairs. “I don’t like the way you said that, Margo.”
My heart lurched. “You don’t like the way I say a lot of things,” I countered, an attempt at humor, badly timed and horribly executed. We had gotten out of the rain about an hour ago, but over the roof of the Buoy on the other side of the mountain that kept Astoria tucked against the shoreline, the storm brewed. Lightning cracked across the dark canvas, veins of life stretching for miles, and just before they faded away, thunder boomed, shaking the earth, a warning of what was yet to come.
“Darling, I know you want your space, but perhaps it would be…well, it would be best if I came over,” Rossy said, nearly tripping over his words, his anxiety almost shattering his sentence structure.
Hayes was in front of me then, eyes on the phone. “Please don’t tell me that’s your brother,” he practically growled.
I shook my head rapidly, covering the receiver with my hand. “It’s Rossy.”
His green eyes flashed with understanding, and he gave me a jerk of his chin. “Let’s get inside before the rain hits,” he said, moving to the truck to grab his bag.
“Brother?” Rossy parroted. “You have a brother?”
Shit.
Shit.
Damn.
Fuck.
Panic slithered at the back of the neck, the hairs rising, goose bumps trailing down my arms. “I gotta go, boss man. Thanks for giving me another day off. I promise to make it up to everyone.”
“Margo, darling—”
I ended the call, a sour taste in my mouth, and got out of the Jeep. I closed the door with my hip, falling against it, shoulders sagging. The rain soaked into the back of my jean skirt, but I didn’t care. “I’m a horrible human being,” I whispered to myself. I’d been living a lie. For the last seven years, I’d been living a horrid lie, foolishly thinking I could escape. I thought I’d broken the chains, but somewhere along the way, the chains caught back up with me.
“No.”
My head snapped up.
Hayes was right there, leaning into my space. “You’re not a horrible person. You’re a good person who’s been through horrible shit. There’s a fucking difference and I need you to learn it before I redden your ass.”