Page 76 of Hold the Line

Camille stuck her head in the doorway. “We have a few customers. I could use some help.”

Hailey bounced on her toes. “I’ll be right there.” Then she turned back to me with an earnest expression. “Thank you for not firing me and being so nice to me and being my brother’s girlfriend.”

“All of that is my pleasure.” I tipped my head toward the front of the shop. “Now, let’s go help Camille before she starts a riot and fires us both.”

Chapter Thirty-two

Deacon

ThelasttimeI’dbeen up close to my sister, she’d been a slip of a thing. Ten years old but tiny for her age. Her face had been blasted with freckles—summer or winter, it didn’t matter—and her hair had been cut just below her ears.

At fifteen, the freckles were still there but less intense. She’d let her hair grow to mid-back, and it had some wave to it now. She still wasn’t very tall, but she was a hell of a lot bigger than she’d been five years ago.

All those changes and I’d still recognize her laugh with my eyes closed. I didn’t know what I’d done right to be listening to it again, but here she was, sitting at my girlfriend’s table, giggling with Phoebe about a customer who’d gone into Sugar Rush last week.

“He wanted twelve shots of espresso.” She pressed her hands to her face in horror. “Twelve!”

Phoebe snorted. “And what did Camille say?”

Hailey’s shoulders shook as she snickered. “She said, ‘Sir, if you’re determined to explode your heart, you’ll have to do it elsewhere. I don’t have time to clean that sort of mess up.’”

If I’d had time to dwell on my sister coming over for dinner, I would’ve driven myself crazy. But Hailey had asked to meet, her foster mom had agreed, and twenty-four hours after bolting from Sugar Rush, we were sharing a pizza.

I barely ate, spending most of the meal cataloging every change in my sister instead. Her expressions were the same as I remembered, but there was a lightness to her that was new. I liked seeing that. I liked it a lot.

The rest of the time, I studied Linda Spellman. My instincts told me she cared for Hailey. Hell, she wouldn’t have brought her here if she didn’t have good intentions. I’d rather Hailey be living with me, but with my record, that wasn’t an option. I was coming to the conclusion the Spellmans were the next best thing.

When their laughter died down, I said, “You grew your hair out.”

Hailey dragged her hand along the locks draped over her shoulder. “Yeah, I did. I…uh, learned to care for it myself. And Linda taught me how to do ponytails and braids when it got longer.”

“I like it. I’m sorry I didn’t have those skills when you were living with me.”

I’d done my best, but the underside of her hair had gotten so matted we’d had to cut it. After that, we kept it short because it was easier for us both. It wasn’t like I was any kind of expert braider. I could’ve watched tutorials, though. I should’ve done more.

“It’s okay.” She picked up her paper napkin, wringing it in her hand. “It looked pretty cool short. I was just ready for a change.”

Linda lifted the end of Hailey’s hair, rubbing it between her fingers. “I loved your hair when you came to live with us. But you can pull off any cut with your pretty face.”

Phoebe nodded. “Isn’t that the truth? Not to mention all that gorgeous hair. You and Deacon share that trait.”

Hailey smiled at me, her cheeks a soft, rosy pink. “Only Deke and I have this hair color. We don’t match the rest of the family.”

I cleared my throat. “Have you talked to any of ’em since I’ve been away?”

“Not for a long time,” she replied. “Richie visited me a couple times in the beginning, but I think he forgot about me. Mom and Dad aren’t getting a check for me anymore, so they don’t have any use for me.” She scoffed, rolling her eyes, being big and brave. “It isn’t like I have any use for them either.”

“Our parents…” I shook my head, trying to formulate how to explain their neglect of her had nothing to do with her and everything to do with them. “Don’t know why they had kids. I guess it was just a thing to do. By some strange luck, they produced you and gave you every scrap of good they had in them. The one decent thing they ever did was let you come live with me. I’m not saying I was some prize, but—”

“You were,” she rushed out. “Remember, you gave me the bedroom in our apartment, and you slept on an air mattress in the living room? Back then, I didn’t realize what a big deal that was, but now I know. You were giving me what you didn’t have.”

I shrugged. “Anyone would have done it, buddy.”

“Deke,” she whispered. “I slept on a couch at our parents’ house. I’d never had a bedroom until I lived with you. You did that for me.”

In my periphery, Phoebe covered her gasp with her fingertips. I didn’t like talking about how it’d been growing up. Whatever most people assumed, it’d been ten times worse. Most of the time, there’d been no running water. Electricity had been iffy. We had feral dogs running wild on the property, so going outside wasn’t safe, but staying inside was often worse. Strangers were coming and going, every surface covered in drugs, dirt, and only God knew what else. It’d only grown worse as I’d gotten older. Iknewif I hadn’t watched Hailey like a hawk, something irrevocable would have happened to her in that house.

“I did that for you,” I conceded. “Then I got locked up and left you alone. I let you down, kid, and I’ll never forgive myself for that.”

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