Page 13 of Never You

“Give the man a break.” I give him my sweetest smile, casually grabbing my cup from the desk. “I’ll be fine.”

Brushing his words away, I watch his blue eyes darken to a seriousness he rarely gives me. His troubled gaze locks withmine as he’s pressing his lips to a flat line like he’s got something to say, the look bringing a slight worry to my chest.

“What?” I finally blurt.

“My sister was right.”

My eyebrows raise in curiosity. “What do you mean?”

He leans back, taking a deep breath before crossing his arms in front of his chest. It’s one of those looks that screams‘Caution: preach ahead.’

“When I first took you to LA,” he starts, “she told me you would never really ground here.‘That girl is more southern than she realizes herself,’she said.”

He pauses, cocking his head. “I guess she was right. Since you’ve decided to go back home, you look more relaxed than I’ve ever seen you. And I’ve known you your entire life.”

A sad chuckle comes from his mouth before he looks at his feet, lost in thought.

“Maybe I was wrong for bringing you here,” he adds.

“Johnny.” I push out a breath, closing my eyes for a short moment. “You saved me. If you hadn’t brought me here—”

I shake my head, pushing away the tears that are pricking in the corner of my eyes. “I would probably be dead in the gutter right now.”

The corner of his mouth slightly rises, amused. “No chance, kid. You are too smart to end up in the gutter. You’re not your friend.”

“I wasn’t far off,” I counter.

“You were never going to end like her.”

“Maybe.” I shrug, tracing the rim of my cup with my finger. “But I wouldn’t know how lucky I was if you hadn’t brought me to LA. I wouldn’t appreciate home if I didn’t have anything to compare it to.”

Johnny always gave me more credit than I think I deserve, but Iknowhe’s the one that saved me. I hated him for it and wasdetermined to make a run for it as soon as we arrived in LA. But he pushed me. He threatened to force me to face my biggest fear if I didn’t get my shit together, backing me up against the wall.

Little did I know, it was the biggest gift he could’ve given me.

His eyes land back on mine, this time with a proud look that has me shooting him a coy smile.

“When did you get so wise?”

“When you dragged me here, gave me an all-consuming job, and forced me to grow up.” I stick my tongue out at him, done with the heavy talk.

“Fuck, Idid,didn’t I?” His laugh echoes through the room, then he looks at his watch. “You better get going. I don’t want you driving in the dark.”

I hum in agreement before I get up and put the last of my stuff in my brown leather weekender. Then I move toward Johnny with a heavy feeling in my feet.

He grabs my face in his hands with a stern gaze.

“Now remember, you call me every morning and—”

“And every night when I’m in my hotel room. I know,” I interrupt.

It’s the same thing he says every single time I make this trip. Twice a year.

“Let’s not make this any harder than it already is.”

He lets go of my face to grab me in a tight hug, and I wrap my arms around his body, breathing him in.

“Shut up, smartass.” His tone is soft, a slight crack seeping through it. “I’m gonna miss you.”

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