Page 117 of Interference

Anthony stared at me with wide eyes. “So they… They don’t know. About any of it.”

I shook my head. “As far as they know, I’m still working at the company that laid me off two years ago. I’m still living in my apartment. That’s… I hate lying to them, you know? But telling them the truth—I can’t do that to them. Especially not now.”

“Holy shit,” he breathed.

“It sucks,” I admitted. “All of it.” I wiped a hand over my face, then petted Lily just to keep my blood pressure from shooting up. “Dad’s getting a break from his treatment here pretty soon, and Mom wants me to come see them, but…” I trailed off, shaking my head.

Anthony was quiet for a moment. “Where do they live?”

“Portland.” I moistened my lips. “Oregon, not Maine.” I laughed bitterly. “They might as well be in Maine for all I can get there, though.”

The instant I said it, I regretted it, because I knew what was coming.

Anthony shifted a little. “If you want to see them, I can—”

“Don’t,” I whispered, shaking my head. “You’ve already done so much more for me than I have any right to ask. I can’t ask for that too.”

“You’re not.” He looked me right in the eye. “Do you want to see your family over the holidays?”

My voice was instantly thick. How could it not be? Nodding, I whispered, “Yes. Of course I do.”

He touched my arm. “Then let me help. I can get you a train ticket. Fly you down. Hell, if you want, I’ll drive. I’ve been meaning to visit Portland since I moved here.”

I blinked. “But… I mean, you’ve put me up. You’ve spent God knows how much on making sure Lily and I have what I need. There’s no way I can even pay this forward, never mind pay you back.”

“You don’t have to,” he said gently. “This isn’t an investment or something. You needed help, and I have the means to help. And I care about you—I want to help. It’s really that simple.”

I avoided his gaze. The shame roiling in my stomach was all too familiar. Given society’s thoughts on being poor, especially being homeless, I didn’t think it was possible to not feel shame in my situation. Still sucked, though.

Anthony squeezed my arm. “You deserve better than living out there. And no matter what hand you’ve been dealt, you deserve to be able to see your family.”

I swallowed hard, trying not to choke on my emotions. “I appreciate that.” Despite that ball of shame, I made myself meet his eyes. “I… don’t want to ask for anything, especially after everything you’ve—”

“You’re not asking.” He gave my arm another squeeze, then withdrew his hand. “I’m the one asking. Do you want to go to Portland and see your family?”

Pride and shame and all those other emotions screamed at me to say no, but my God, being away from my family—especially with everything my parents were going through—had been killing me. I quite literally swallowed my pride and managed to whisper, “Yes. I do.”

“Okay.” Anthony nodded sharply. “You tell me when, and… I’ll make it happen.”

The rush of gratitude was dizzying. “Thank you. It’s… It really means a lot.”

His smile—God, this beautiful man…

I wanted to tell him that I’d be thrilled to get on the first train or bus to Portland, but some twinkling colored lights outside the window reminded me what time of year this was. I didn’t know if the idea that came to me was a good one, but I put it out there anyway.

“Do you, um…” I swallowed. “Do you have plans for Christmas?”

Anthony shook his head and reached for his drink. “No. We were supposed to spend it with Simon’s parents this year, so mine are going to Greece.”

“So you’re just… here?”

He shrugged as he took a sip. “Probably, yeah. I’d spend it with my teammates, but…”

“But they’ll ask why you’re not with Simon.”

“Bingo.”

“Oh. Well, I’m sure my mom would be thrilled to have someone else at the table.”

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