Page 6 of The Best of Us

“Sorry, I, uh . . . you know I can never keep anything from her,” Hudson was quick to remind me.

I was well aware. “It’s over.” I thought back to that kid, whose face I’d now never forget. “And someone stole my wallet.”

I told them how my need to intervene in anot-my-problemsituation had just become my problem.

“Ugh, well, that’s a pain in the ass. Can’t believe he”—she cleared her throat—“managed to do that.” Not my finest moment.Alsoaware. “But we can get all your cards canceled. It’ll be fine.”

“No, you don’t get it. I had something irreplaceable in my wallet.” I dragged a hand through my hair, bowing my head as memories of our sister filled my mind. Our sister who’d been murdered almost fifteen years ago. “Something from Bianca.” My body tensed at my admission. “And I’ll do whatever it takes to get it back.”

Chapter2

Juliette

“I don’t need a lecture,”Colin muttered, arms crossed over his chest, his back to the bedroom window. “But I know you’ll give me one anyway.”

His downturned mouth and eyes locked on the floor contradicted the Superman pose he was trying to pull off. I doubted it was guilt battling his confident stance, causing his shoulders to slump.

No, my son didn’t regret getting into a fight at school. He only regretted the outcome.

“I’m sorry about your job. I really am.”

At least look me in the eyes when you say that.“This is the third time since we’ve moved to New York I’ve had to cut out of work, abandoning people who need me, because you got into trouble.” I didn’t sugarcoat the truth. He needed to understand his actions didn’t just affect him. “One more time, and I’ll get fired.”

“I couldn’t stand by and let him go unpunished for what he did.” His brown eyes finally lifted, but only so far as the neckline of my scrubs.

He wasn’t ready to meet my gaze and spell out why he did what he did. He’d also refused to tell his story in the principal’s office.

“You can’t go around handing out judgment on kids in school. That’s not your job. You should have reported him if you thought?—”

A low, deep laugh rumbled from his chest, cutting me off. “And what?” His voice was sharp and bitter. “You know who his dad is, which is why Zach gets away with everything.”

ZachariasBauer. Senior. Superstar quarterback. Son of one of the most powerful litigators in Manhattan. A man who had donated an entire wing to the school. Yeah, I knew himnow.

I also knew Colin was one suspension away from getting kicked out of the private school my father was generously paying for after calling in a big favor to get him accepted in the first place.

Colin pushed away from the window. “His asshole father made you get on your hands and knees in Mrs. Pope’s office and beg him not to press assault charges.”

“I was there.” I remembered the oh-so-humbling experience of bowing before a man and pleading while the principal watched on and kept quiet.

He frowned and lifted one shoulder. “I’m sorry about that, by the way.” Back to scowling, he tossed out, “But I’m not sorry for what I did.”

Being a single mom raising a teenage son had me feeling like debris the size of cars kept falling from the sky. And every day, I narrowly avoided being hit. One of these days, though, I was worried I’d be outright crushed.

“And why’d you do it?” I asked, my voice straining.

Colin focused on the hand he’d used to punch Zach. Thank God Colin hadn’t badly hurt Zach, or I’d be bailing him out of jail. I’d consider a one-week suspension a gift.

“I couldn’t stand by and let him . . .” He allowed his sentence to remain hanging in the air.

I knew him well enough to know he’d eventually complete that sentence if I gave him time.

So, I stood there patiently, across from a boy who’d grown into a handsome man overnight. He was sixteen and towered over me at six feet tall. He even had scruff covering his cheeks and jawline, a jaw that was far too chiseled for a teenager.

“Zach’s a piece of shit like his father. And his old man didn’t press charges because Mrs. Pope must’ve shown him why I swung at his son in the first place.”

And there it is. The truth.I just needed him to continue laying it out for me. Build that skyscraper back up, so it wasn’t falling on me anymore. Give me a reason to understand he wasn’t misguided, just a little lost. To explain why I had to grovel to that piece of shit (he was right about that) an hour ago.

“I had a hall pass, and I was on my way to take a piss when I saw Zach shove his girlfriend against the lockers. He smacked her, then told me to get lost and act like I didn’t see anything.” He paused, letting his admission sink in, and the sad image planted roots, turning into understanding. “I couldn’t do that.”

---