Page 19 of Escape

He gave me a nod. “Good. And maybe in a couple of months, we can try to get together outside of this diner. I’m just glad to know there isn’t a boyfriend to contend with on top of a hectic schedule.”

Damn it.

“Well…” I trailed off. I didn’t want to have to admit this to him. “There kind of is.”

His brows shot up. “Kind of? What does that mean?”

I inhaled deeply. “It’s a bit complicated. I’m sorry I can’t explain that right now. But I promise that once things settle down in a few months, it won’t be a problem for us to get together and catch up, if you’re still interested.”

I couldn’t quite read the look on his face, but Huck insisted, “I’ll still be interested.”

Though I hadn’t wanted to react in a way he might notice there was something deeper happening, I wasn’t able to stop myself from closing my eyes and sighing with relief. When I came to my senses and opened my eyes again, I saw Huck was studying me.

Whatever he was thinking, he didn’t say. But I knew he was smart. And given his line of work, he probably realized things about me that I’d never be able to hide.

I reached into my apron, pulled out the bill, and said, “I should probably give you your check so you can get back to work. Whenever you’re ready, you can take it up to the front to pay.”

“Yeah. Good idea. You probably have to get back to work, too,” he replied, taking it from me. His fingers brushed up against mine, sending a chill down my spine.

“I do,” I rasped.

Following a beat of silence, Huck stood and said, “It really was nice to see you, Josie. I’m so glad I decided to stop in here today.”

My heart was breaking, and it took everything I had in me not to burst into tears. “Me, too. I’ll look forward to seeing you here again soon.”

“You can count on it.”

While I didn’t doubt him, I could feel the conviction in his words. Huck wasn’t the kind of man who’d ever not follow through on a promise.

I wanted nothing more than for him to give me another hug before he left, but Huck didn’t extend his arms to offer one. So, I had no choice but to give him a nod, turn, and walk away.

I went straight to the bathroom, where I locked the door and allowed the tears to spill down my cheeks.

Why did my life have to be so fucked up?

FOUR

Josie

It never dawned on me that the mere idea of things actually being able to turn around in my life could motivate me. For far too long, everything had just felt positively hopeless. Even with the determination I had now to get out of my current situation, feeling like I finally had a way to make it happen with my new job, I still hadn’t felt that glimmer of hope.

Maybe that was my way of protecting myself. I’d tried to have hope before, and I wound up right back in the same spot I’d been in as a kid. It was difficult not to believe I was destined for a life of this, a lifetime of abuse.

But everything changed three days ago.

In the days that followed since Huck came to the diner, gracing me with his presence for the first time in years when I never thought I’d see him again, I started feeling hopeful. I wanted to believe he was a sign of better things to come.

I allowed myself to believe things were heading in the right direction. Maybe, just maybe, I’d be able to have a good life, after all.

Of course, I didn’t expect it would come easily. I knew I was going to have to work hard for it—I had already intended to do that much, anyway—but it was nice to have something more than just freedom to look forward to. Could I get back a friendship that meant the world to me?

It was, for the first time in a very long time, nice to live inside my own head. I hadn’t enjoyed the thoughts that had consumed my mind for years, but now, it wasn’t so bad. In fact, it was wonderful to be distracted, even if for only short periods of time, by thoughts of Huck.

He was a solace for me. Thinking about him brought me such peace. And I thought of everything when it came to him. Nothing was off limits. I reminisced for long periods of time about all the things he’d done for me in high school, how sweet he’d been to me. I recalled the way it felt when he first shared his lunch with me. I remembered the days we shared bagel sandwiches for breakfast. And even if I hadn’t thought about it since it happened, I found myself having recollections about the trips we’d taken to the library and the conversations we had there.

But my thoughts over the last three days weren’t solely about the childhood memories I had with Huck. Apparently, it was entirely possible to spend hours thinking about the brief encounter we’d had at the diner. I couldn’t seem to get the way he looked at me out of my mind. I was constantly assaulted by the sound of his voice, my eyes popping open in the middle of the night, recalling it and the way it made me feel. And the one thing I hadn’t been able to forget was the way he’d wrapped his arms around me and held on like he never wanted to let me go. That memory had been the one to give me the most hope.

All of it was good. All of it made me happier than I’d been since I saw him last, particularly the idea that Huck might have had some interest in me that went beyond friendship.