But I’d change that with Sarah.
It was a vow I’d made to her, to myself. I knew how the odds were stacked against us. I knew it wouldn’t be easy. But, I also knew I’d make it work. I’d find a way.
I had to.
For the first time since my family died, everything felt right. I cared for Sarah, and she cared for me. It was reciprocated, which I found was entirely different than anything I’d ever experienced with any woman in my life before. She made me feel right — for the first time since I lost everything… maybe for the first time ever.
And tonight, after work, I’d get to see her again.
I’d get to hold her, kiss her, be with her outside of our lessons.
I just had to make it through one short shift.
Checking my watch, I snatched my wallet off the table and rubbed Rojo’s head where she was now sprawled out on the couch. “Be good,” I told her, plucking my keys from the table next. “I’m bringing your favorite person home later.”
Rojo just stretched out farther, eyes lazily drifting closed. I smirked, swinging my front door open and wishing I was at the part of the night where I was walking back inside instead of out. I paused at the sight of a familiar car in my driveway, tilting my head to the side as hope fluttered through my chest.
Sarah?
Maybe she couldn’t wait until after work, I thought. But it wasn’t her who stepped out of the old Toyota.
It was her uncle.
I frowned, something tugging at my gut in warning as he watched me from under bent brows once he was out of the car. I swallowed, locking up behind me before I trotted down the stairs and across the drive.
“Evening, Mr. Henderson,” I greeted, offering a warm smile. “How are you tonight?”
Randall returned my smile, though it was tight at the edges as he slipped his hands into the pockets of his slacks. “Good evening to you. I’m doing well, all things considered.”
He didn’t ask how I was.
I nodded, still smiling. “Glad to hear it. Uh… I’m actually about to head to The Kinky Starfish for the night,” I explained, thumb pointing back over my shoulder toward downtown. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
“I know, sorry for showing up unannounced. I actually just dropped Sarah off there for her shift,” he explained. “Seems she’s staying the night with a friend, so I offered to drop her off and take her car in for an oil change in the morning.”
The way he said the word friend put every nerve in my body on high alert.
His smile was gone, his gaze hard.
I didn’t need a second guess to determine that he wasn’t sold on Sarah’s story.
“Oh,” I answered, twirling my key ring around one finger before tucking it into my pocket. “Well, that’s good. I’m glad she’s making friends.”
“Indeed.” Randall watched me, eyes narrowing as he rolled his lips together. “You know, that’s actually why I stopped by. Apparently, Sarah stayed with this friend on Saturday night, too.”
Again, the way he said friend told me this conversation was anything but friendly.
“Oh?”
He nodded. “Yeah, except, she’s never mentioned this friend before. And I’ve never heard of the young lady. Of course, I’m not insinuating that I know everyone in town. But, well… as you know, I’m familiar with most.”
I didn’t respond. At this point, I didn’t feel like I was invited to.
Randall wouldn’t be concerned if he believed Sarah truly had been at a girlfriend’s house. He’d wanted her to make friends, to be welcomed by Mount Lebanon. And at twenty-one, Sarah was too old for him to be interfering in her life the way he would if she were in high school.
He didn’t believe her story.
And the way Randall was looking at me told me I had more to worry about than her right now.
“I just want to make sure she’s not getting mixed up in the wrong crowd,” he said, taking a step toward me. “You and I both know how dangerous that can be for such a young, impressionable girl.”
I swallowed, trying to smile past the guilt. “She’s a smart woman,” I said. “And she’s picky about who she spends her time with. I don’t think you need to be worried, Mr. Henderson.”
Randall smiled, but it fell too quickly, and he took another step toward me with a menacing glare. “Listen to me, Reese Walker. I may not know everything going on in my niece’s life, but I know enough to know she’s been through enough shit to last a lifetime. She came here for a break, for a means to an end, and that is it.” He lowered his voice. “I also know that you have a tendency of wanting what you can’t have, and I just wanted to remind you of your role in her life. In case you had forgotten.”
I swallowed, jaw tight from grinding my teeth together so I wouldn’t pop off and tell Mr. Henderson exactly what I thought about his assessment of me, of what I wanted, what I’d done, and what role I played in Sarah’s life.
But through the rage, I saw Sarah.
I made a promise to her, and if I wanted to live in a world where we could be together, I had to curate that.
Punching her uncle in the throat wouldn’t help.
So, instead, I held my chin high, chest broad, and I pretended like I didn’t have a fucking clue what he was insinuating.
“I’m not sure what all of that means, sir,” I said as calmly as I could manage. “But, I assure you, I have nothing but the utmost respect for your niece and her dreams. I want her wellbeing just as much as you do.”
Randall narrowed his eyes into slits, but not getting a rise out of me seemed to anger him more than appease him. It didn’t make sense. We’d always been friends, and he’d been nothing but kind to me since I’d arrived back in town.
Then again, I supposed if he knew anything about what happened between me and Charlie, I couldn’t blame him for being suspicious of me. He was right, I did have a bad habit of wanting what I couldn’t have. And in all ways, Sarah fit into that category.
But I didn’t believe in boxes, anymore.
Regardless of what Randall thought, of what anyone thought, Sarah and I were good together. She had saved me, and I hoped I could do the same for her, in time.
“Seems we’re on the same page,” Randall said after a long while, taking a small step back. “Let’s touch base after this week’s lessons to discuss next steps for Sarah. I know she’s anxious to get to New York City, and you’ve got connections to get her there sooner rather than later.”
What he was implying was crystal clear. He wanted Sarah out of here, away from me, and he wasn’t going to take no for an answer.
That was fine.
I’d made a promise to Sarah that I’d find a way for us to be together, that I’d figure everything out. I knew in order to achieve that, I’d have to show her uncle — show everyone — that I cared for Sarah. She was important to me, I respected her, and I wanted her to succeed just as much as her family did — maybe even more.
Yes, I was older. Yes, she had been my student. But what we had was real, and I would prove it.
He was right, I did have connections in New York. If I could help her achieve her dream, help her get to the place she wanted to be, it would show not just her how much I cared, but everyone around her, too. And as Mr. Henderson offered me one last wave over his shoulder before climbing back into Sarah’s car, I pulled out my phone, flipping through it until I found an old, familiar name.