Page 93 of Pin-up Girl

Clint still looked anxious, but now he wasn’t pulling out his hair. “I’ll be there soon.”

“Maybe give it an hour or two. We’re discussing if chainsaws or flamethrowers make better weapons on bots, and she’s got some good insight.”

Clint frowned. “I— what? You’re not?—”

Evie made a grunt. “It’s not like I’m giving her a chainsaw or a flamethrower. This is all purely academic.”

I didn’t see a problem with that, but Clint looked uncertain.

“At least she’s learning it from a trusted source?” I offered.

Clint rolled his eyes. “Thank you. I’ll be there in a bit.”

Aubrey hung up, but the tension in the room didn’t evaporate.

“I don’t know what to do.” Clint sank into the nearest seat. “I don’t know how to reassure her, or how to make her listen, or how to get her to talk to me.”

“Let us go get her.” Why did I say that? It wasn’t as though I had any more insight than Clint.

The way he looked at me with skepticism made me believe he had the same thought.

“Brodie’s right,” Aubrey said. “If she’s worried we’re leaving, we can promise that we’re not…” She furrowed her brow and looked at me. “Unless you are.” Her voice went quiet.

I’d told her I was only here until Sylvie’s wedding was over. Only until my sabbatical was up. And even though I’d come here intending to find a new place, I didn’t expect to.

The pair of realizations hit me hard. I’d wanted this to be home again. Actual home. But I hadn’t thought I’d really find that. I had, though. I liked the people here. I liked the friends I’d rediscovered. The loves. Even if I had to move into that motel, I wasn’t going anywhere. “No. I’m staying in Haddarville. I can’t imagine going anywhere else.”

Aubrey’s smile was bright, and even the corners of Clint’s mouth tugged up.

“See?” Aubrey turned to Clint again. “Plus, even kids with cool parents sometimes want to talk to someone they’re not related to. Dee just had her mom dump her on your doorstep, and she thinks the world of you, Clint. She’s not going to want to disappoint a second parent by telling you something she thinks you don’t want to hear.”

Clint leaned in to rest his elbows on his knees. “She tells me things I don’t want to hear all the time.”

“Not really.” I was too familiar with this myself. “You made it safe to say if she doesn’t like the food or the music.”

“But she knows I never stopped loving performing.” Clint dropped his face into his hands. “Fuck.” His voice was muffled, but the shout was loud enough to be jarring anyway. He looked at us again. “Okay. Bring her home. Make sure she knows—if it comes up—that I love her whether or not she wants to dance.”

An hour or so later, Aubrey and I headed to the motel. The moment we walked into the lobby, and Dee saw us from the waiting room, she scowled. “Why are you here?” She demanded.

“Brodie is staying here,” Aubrey said.

I wouldn’t do that. This kid deserved the truth as much as possible. Everyone did. “We came to talk to you.”

Evie and Elaina exchanged looks, and Kurt sank onto the carpet with a huff. “Do I have to go play in the other room?” He asked.

I didn’t see why. “You can stay. We’re all friends hanging out.” Now I was overstepping with two kids who weren’t mine. But that was another thing I wanted when I was younger—most of my life—was for the adults to understand what I was trying to say.

Kurt looked to his mom anyway.

Elaina shrugged. “I have to finalize the schedule for next week, and I need to be in back for that. Do me a favor and holler if anyone comes in?”

“Absolutely,” Evie said.

Dee climbed to her feet. “I’m going to help Elaina.”

“We’ll be here when you come back,” I said.

She fixed me with a glare. “If you’re going to go away, just go away. Don’t pretend. Don’t save it until you’re ready to talk about it.” She used air quotes like a pro.

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