Page 81 of Burn With Me

She smiles. “I’m glad you guys asked me to hang out more. I haven’t allowed myself to make friends with anyone in a long time.”

I have so many questions, but I also don’t know how to ask without sounding insensitive.

“Why don’t you just pick a date? Late spring is like April or May?” Pam states.

“Wait, what did you put on your driver’s license?” Abby asks. “Maybe we can use that date?”

“Um, I don’t have a driver’s license, birth certificate, or social security card,” she says and takes a big gulp of wine.

My jaw drops. I knew she lived a private life, but I’ve never wanted to wrap someone in my arms and protect them more than I do her right now.

She sets her now empty wine glass down and takes a deep breath. “I ran away from my family when I was sixteen and have worked under the table since then, floating from one town to the next.”

“Are you in trouble?” I ask.

“No, I don’t think so. At least not anymore. I was born into what I now know as a cult. I was in an arranged marriage to the head of the Family’s son. He wasn’t a good person, none of the men in the Family were. I knew I had to leave when my infant baby sister was being chosen by who she’d marry when she came of age, and I knew it wasn’t right. My one and only friend Aspen helped me run away, but we both couldn’t go. I just left both of them there.” Her breath hitches, and the moment Penny hears it, she wakes up and walks over to Luna, getting as close as she can without sitting in her lap, leaning on her like she’s offering support.

My heart breaks because I cannot imagine. Pam, Abby, and I surround her, each of us putting an arm around her.

“You did what you had to, but why couldn’t both of you go?”

“She distracted them so I could get away. We didn’t have anyone else we trusted to help us. It’s my biggest regret of leaving.”

“Have you told anyone else? What about Noah? That man is crazy about you. He could probably pull some strings to figure something out.”

“No!” she yells, her voice high with panic. “He can’t know. If someone starts poking around and they find out, they might try and come find me.”

“Okay, no one has to tell anyone anything until you’re ready. But I do think he could look into things without making anyone aware.”

“I don’t know. I’m not comfortable just opening up to anyone else yet,” she says and grabs her pizza again.

“That’s okay. So does that mean you’ve never driven? What about being on a date?” Pam asks because she’s a nosy bitch.

Okay, I am too. I just don’t want to ask the questions first.

“No, I’ve never driven. I’ve taken buses or trains from town to town till I landed here. And no, we weren’t allowed to date in the Family, mostly because all marriages were arranged. Once I left, I was so afraid to meet people that I just never tried dating.”

“Well . . . Noah would take you on a date if you let him. I can tell you’re interested,” I say, nudging her shoulder.

“He can do so much better than me, but he was my first kiss. Well, kiss on the cheek.”

“You stop that train of thought right now. He would be lucky to be with you. Anyone would,” Abby says.

“Let’s go back tohe kissed you!” I say excitedly.

“Well, it wasn’t a real kiss,” she says.

“But you want it to be a real kiss.” Pam smiles at her.

“I mean, I wouldn’t be mad about it,” she admits with a shy smile.

Ideas float around in my head about how to get those two together. Noah would be good for her, and she just needs a little push to make it happen.

“Speaking of people being together . . .” Pam says and turns to look at Abby. “What about you and my brother? Did he do something to piss you off? Because we will put laxatives in his food randomly for the rest of the year.”

“No, nothing like that.” She waves a hand. “He just flirts with every female around him, and it’s like he doesn’t understand that I don’t want to be one of his conquests,” she says with a shrug.

“I’m sorry we had him take you home that night. We didn’t intend to make you uncomfortable,” I tell her honestly because I had no idea, and the last thing I want is to make one of my best friends uncomfortable.

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