Page 92 of The Originals
It was clear Jack was giving her all the signs that he wanted her gone. That was good. It was the message he should be sending. It was as easy as saying yes, and she’d probably be gone before he was ready to leave with Mick. It couldn’t have worked out any better. It was perfect.
Jack drew in a breath and drove his hand through his hair, eyeing Colleen. Her tan legs up to her thighs brushed against one another stirring something in Jack.
“You can stay here.”
She flinched as if he’d struck her, and her eyes widened as she gasped. “What?”
“Yeah,” Jack cupped his mouth, knowing he was making a mistake and not caring. “Hang out at the house. Won’t be home until late. There’s food in the fridge. If you cook, there’s an ice box out back. You can use whatever you want.”
“If this is gonna be a problem…”
“What did I just say?” His tone was harsher than he intended.
Her cheeks pinkened. “I’m staying here.”
Jack nodded and was heading into his room when he felt her hand slide into his, forcing him to stop mid-step.
“I really appreciate you doing this for me, Jack.”
There was so much sincerity in her tone. He had a feeling it had been a long time since anyone had done something nice for her. Jack squeezed her hand and pulled away, refusing to look at her.
This is a big fucking mistake.
****
For the first hour after Jack left, Colleen wandered around the house. It seemed strange to be there, especially alone. Seeing Jack outside of the club life was interesting. She’d always built up this vision of his other world. Seeing the reality, it was so normal. And it was comforting. But still, she was a stranger to his real life.
She made her way to the kitchen, glancing around the room. She zoned in on the phone hanging on the wall. There was one call she needed to make and had planned on it before the Dunn fiasco. She walked over to the counter and made herself a cup ofcoffee. She sat at the kitchen table and again looked over at the phone.
Colleen wavered with the idea of calling her brother. It had been over three weeks, and she knew how upset he got when he didn’t hear from her for long periods of time. It made sense. She felt the same way. She and her brother, Michael, had always been close. Their childhood had been traumatic and nothing short of horrific at times. Her parents weren’t always stable. Alcoholism ran in their family. Every so often they’d get on the wagon. It was almost cruel, showing Colleen and her brother how good life could be, and then in another month rip it all away.
They leaned on each other, being only a year apart, and they both got out of their home at the same time. Michael graduated high school and joined the Army. Colleen didn’t have it in her to wait another year. Not without her brother. She’d dropped out of high school the summer before her senior year and moved out the day Michael left for bootcamp.
Her brother had been against the idea, suggesting she could stay with a friend and finish out the year. In hindsight, it would’ve been the smartest move. Unfortunately, it’s not the one she made.
Colleen stared at the phone hanging on the wall in the kitchen. If she only spent thirty minutes talking, she’d have enough money to cover the call. It was best to ask Jack for permission beforehand, but it was also a conversation she preferred to have in private.
Decision made.
She walked over, grabbed the receiver, and dialed her brother’s phone number. It rang twice.
“Hello?”
“Michael, hi. It’s Coll.”
She heard a heavy sigh of relief on the other end of the line. “It’s about time. We’ve been worried about you.”
She smiled, twisting the cord around her finger and leaning her shoulder against the wall.
“I’m sorry. I’ve been busy. Working a lot.”
“At the clubhouse?”
“Yep.”
There was a long stretch of silence. Michael may not have agreed with her decisions, but he never shamed her for them.We all do what we have to do to get by.Colleen always steered the conversation back to her brother and his family when things got awkward. Deflection at its finest.
“How’s Beth and the baby?”