Page 44 of A Little Jaded

“I did every stupid thing in the book,” she whispers. “Every stupid thing I was ever warned not to do. And look where it got me. When I found out Drake’s related to Mia’s ex, I swept it under the rug. Pretended like I didn’t know all the shit his dad put her through.” Her gaze falls to her hands. “Not that it matters. I started noticing the similarities of what I was going through to the stories I heard from my own parents.” She scoffs and wipes beneath her eyes once more, refusing to let me in despite airing her dirty laundry. “But I ignored them. Ignored all of it. And if they find out I was so fucking stupid to ignore his familial ties, let alone how it might hurt my family and what he was doing to me, I’ll never…I’ll never forgive myself. I’ll never live it down. I just…I want it to go away. I want all of it to go away.”

I lean back in my chair, studying her. Her sincerity. Her strength. Her stubbornness. She’s an enigma. One I can’t quite put my finger on. Part of me wants to point out how stupid it is to hide something like this from the only people she should rely on. The other part? I guess I get it. My family is great. They’re nothing but supportive, but even the smallest fuck-ups feel larger than Everest whenever I think about my parents finding out. Yeah, Raine isn’t the only one who holds herself to high standards. And the idea of letting the people I love most down when I don’t reach saidstandards is a hard pill to swallow. Add in her family’s connection to the guy, no matter how flimsy it is? It’s gotta sting like a bitch. Besides, Aunt Mia and Uncle Henry have already been through enough. No need to poke around in their closet searching for skeletons.

“Okay,” I finally cave. “No police. No parents. Promise.”

She sniffs and gifts me a glimpse of those forest-green eyes from across the table. They’re brighter than before. Or maybe it’s the sheen of tears she’s refusing to let fall highlighting the natural color. Or maybe it’s my fault for finally looking—seeing—how bold and beautiful she really is.

“You’re serious?” she whispers.

I nod.

The same tiny wobble hits her bottom lip, but she sucks it between her teeth, wincing when she’s reminded it’s still tender. “Thank you.”

“Just…” I grab my fork from the table and cut off a giant square of cheese and noodles from my lasagna but stop short of shoving it in my mouth. “Don’t make me regret it. What’s your schedule for tomorrow?”

“Nothing, really. What’s yours?”

“Practice in the morning.”

“So, I’ll…stay here, then?” she offers.

“I don’t trust Drake enough to leave you alone.”

A frown tugs at her pouty lips. “He doesn’t know I’m here.”

I want to laugh at her naivety but push the bite of food into my mouth while considering our options. Something about the phone call with Drake grates on me. His arrogance. His frustration. His determination. There’s no way I can leave her by herself. The cabin has a security system, but even then, we’re miles from civilization. The idea of leaving her up here by herself turns the lasagna in my mouth to ash.

She watches as I chew slowly then wipe the corner of mymouth with a napkin. Placing it on my lap, I ask, “Do you want the girls to come here, or do you want to go to the duplex until I’m finished with practice?”

“I don’t need a babysitter.”

“Fine, I’ll let the girls decide.”

“Everett,” she pleads.

Standing up, I grab my half-touched plate of lasagna and round the table toward her. “I won’t cave on this.”

“I’m not asking?—”

“Yeah, it’s exactly what you’re doing.” I tower over her, making sure she can feel my determination the same way I could feel Drake’s through the fucking phone. “Drake isn’t going anywhere. Not anytime soon. So, if we’re leaving the police out of this like you want, you have to play by my rules. Do you understand?”

She cranes her head back a little further, giving me her full attention. “Yes, I understand.”

“Good. The girls are coming here tomorrow, and you aren’t going anywhere until I get back.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.” I grab her dish, toss the uneaten lasagna into the garbage, and set the plates in the sink. Turning on the faucet, I mutter under my breath, “So shecanlisten,” as I squirt some dish soap onto the plates, getting straight to work.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

EVERETT

Idial Reeves’ number, glancing over my shoulder to make sure I’m still alone. I debated for hours over whether I should make this call, but I can’t shake it. This feeling. The pit of dread in my stomach. The knowledge of exactly how far south this situation can go if I don’t play my cards right. The reminder of exactly who I’m dealing with and why I need to remember all of my interactions with Raine need to be nothing but professional if I want to walk away from this arrangement unscathed. If I want Raine to be able to walk away from this arrangement unscathed. Drake’s connection to Aunt Mia’s asshole ex doesn’t make shit any easier, either. But I get why Raine doesn’t want to tell people. I understand why she wants to sweep everything under the rug. And even though it’s stupid, I agreed to help her do exactly that.

Hitching up my shoulders to protect my ears from the frigid wind, I rock back on my heels and wait for Reeves to answer.

“Hey, what’s up?” he asks.