Page 43 of There I Find Love
Becky straightened and held her hands out for the container. “I’ll make sure Miss Kim gets this.”
Clara smiled and looked relieved. “Thank you so much. I know Kim wanted it, and I just have so many things to do today. I really appreciate your help.”
Her words made Becky’s shoulders push back, and the expression on her face shifted just slightly to make her look pleased and happy.
Clara turned and walked away, and then Becky lifted her brows at Rodney. “Are you coming?”
He almost said yes. He wanted to go somewhere, but he didn’t want to be around people right now. “You go on ahead. Some of us have things we need to do. You know, because we have families and all that.”
It was a low blow, but somehow he was hurting inside, and he just wanted to lash out at the world.
He felt bad immediately when Becky’s face, rather than looking hurt, closed, like a shield had come down over the front of it.
“I’m sorry. That was mean. I... I just have a couple things I need to work out. I didn’t mean to say something so unkind to you.”
He didn’t typically apologize. His dad had taught him that it was wrong.
But it worked. Becky’s face didn’t exactly return to the open, trusting look she had just a few seconds ago, but the force field-like impassiveness dissipated.
“That’s fine. I was already there, but I can’t believe she’s trusting me to do this all by myself. Like... Like I’m part of the town. You know?”
Rodney nodded. He understood what she was saying. He felt like an outsider too. Maybe because his parents weren’t part of the town, and people didn’t really know him. He felt like he needed to protect himself from their prying eyes and ears.
Becky probably felt the same way. Like she couldn’t quite trust them.
“Maybe I’ll see you around.”
“It’s Saturday. I thought we would hang out on the beach or something.”
“Aren’t you going to go see your sister?”
“She won’t be up until at least dinnertime.”
“It’s almost that time now.”
“Maybe that’s where I’ll go when I’m done taking this to Miss Kim.”
He nodded and then jerked his head. “Better get going.”
Her eyes narrowed at him, like she was wondering what he might be hiding, but maybe it was the stuff in her hands that pushed her on, knowing she needed to do her duty and be responsible with what someone had entrusted her with.
Rodney smiled a little at the proud lift of her shoulders as she walked off, out from between the buildings and starting down the sidewalk.
He almost watched her until she disappeared from sight, but he got back between the buildings, intent on being alone. He needed to figure out this shift in his world and what he was going to do about it.