Page 41 of Spark
Without further argument, I dropped my makeshift bo to the ground and pulled Holly away to continue our walk. She folded her arms, a frown line immediately forming on her forehead as she walked with me, clearly upset by our little exchange.
After a while, Holly and I took a break and sat down, leaning our backs against the palm trees. At least, it was a beautiful day. The sun was out in full force while an easy breeze blew through my hair from the ocean. At moments like this, I found myself actually able to relax and find a small moment of peace.
Hank and Blondie stood by about a hundred feet away, actually giving Holly and me some privacy for once. Weird. Holly eyed them carefully, and I could see the wheels turning in her head. She had been on the island just a few weeks, but she was already starting to pick up on the strange ways of my life and this island.
“They follow you everywhere,” she said quietly as she stared at them. “Why?”
“They’re supposed to watch over me,” I replied.
“Why do you need to be watched, Jaden?”
And here comes the digging. Fuck.
“Because I’m in recovery, and Darren wants to make sure I’m always cared for.”
“Jaden, you’ve recovered. Fully.”
I shrugged, trying to blow off her concern, but my heart was beginning to pound with unease. If Darren thought for even a second that Holly was on to him, she wouldn’t make it off this island alive, and I would not see her end up like the gardener.
“I know, but Darren can be overly cautious sometimes,” I said casually with a shrug. I didn’t want to give her the idea that I was anything but unsurprised by Darren’s behavior.
Holly folded her arms. “You and he seem to have a strange relationship,” she stated.
I raised my brow in surprise. “That’s awfully judgmental of you.”
“Well, he’s never around to spend time with you, yet your life seems controlled in almost every way. I mean, it’s friggin Thanksgiving, and he’s not even here to celebrate with you.”
“It’s just a stupid holiday, Holly. He has more important things to do,” I murmured.
“Stupid holiday?! More important things to do?!” Holly shrieked in shock. “Jaden, this stupid holiday is about giving thanks for the things you have and to appreciate what surrounds you. How can he not see that it’s an important day to spend with the people he cares about the most?”
I sighed in irritation, pinching the bridge of my nose to get myself together. Here I was, trying to defend Darren to protect Holly, and it was the stupidest fucking argument I’ve ever had.
“I don’t know what to tell you, Holly. You’re welcome to voice your concerns to him, but I imagine they will fall on deaf ears. He’s a very busy man.”
A flash of red fell over Holly’s face as she blew the air out of her cheeks in frustration. It almost made me laugh.
“So he’s too busy to care about you, is that it? You’ll accept his name on your own skin, and then sit around waiting for him like some kind of doormat?”
I raised an eyebrow at her. “Careful, Holly. You wouldn’t want this doormat to punch you in the face on purpose.”
Holly huffed and shook her head, waving off my threat. “I just don’t get it. He’s always so stern and intense whenever I’ve seen him, and every time you come back from finally spending time with him, you seem different.”
I furrowed my brows. That was too specific of an observation from her; to know she was paying that much attention to me made me uncomfortable.
“Different how?”
“Sad different. Defeated almost.”
Fuck.
“I mean, from the way it seems, it’s like you don’t even like him.”
Double fuck!
“And the choker around your neck that you never seem to stop fingering never leaves your throat. Why is that, Jaden?”
I hadn’t even realized my fingers were grazing along the smooth metal around my throat. I’d caught myself doing it once or twice, but apparently, it was a lot more than I thought. I didn’t even know why I played with it.