Page 47 of Wreck Me

With me leaving Pack N Mail, maybe I could even convince my boss to give Isla an interview to take my spot. Sure, it wasn’t ideal for her being since she had her heart set on working with animals, but a job was a job. At the end of the day, her biggest ambition was to get out from under her father’s thumb, and in order to do that, she needed to have some cash flow of her own.

Maybe Dave’s offer was beneficial to both me and her, and the Pack N Mail would take a chance on her.

An unfamiliar feeling gnawed in my chest, and for the first time in forever.

Hope.

And I welcomed it. Because I finally felt like maybe things were looking up for me.

* * *

Roundingthe corner to Isla’s apartment, voices amplified down the hallway as an argument transpired in one of the apartments. I ignored it as I strode further down toward Isla’s; there was a pep in my step the closer I made it to her door, so excited to tell her about my conversation with Dave and my hopes of getting her a job at Pack N Mail, but as I approached and reached for the doorknob to let myself in, as I always did after work, the yelling carried out from her apartment.

“There’s a reason why I’ve been avoiding her calls. I’m not interested in hearing whatever excuse she’s come up with to try and make me forgive you.”

“Honestly, your forgiveness, or lack thereof, is none of my concern. I’m here because your mother insisted I make contact with you. She thinks by sending me, you’ll answer her calls. I’m also here because I spoke with the Dean and she informed me you’ve been absent from numerous classes in the past months. Care to tell me why you’ve been skipping your classes?”

Isla sounded exasperated, and the male voice was condescending and spiteful. I had no doubt in my mind who the man attached to the voice was. My hand stayed frozen on the knob, readying myself to go in while still listening to their conversation.

“I haven’t been skipping that many classes, Father. Why are you talking to the Dean, anyway? How do you even know her?”

Footsteps moved around the apartment in slow, calculated steps. I couldn’t see Isla’s father, but I pictured him moving around her apartment, scrutinizing everything she owned through pompous, judgmental eyes.

“You have three weeks left in your business degree, Isla, and once you’ve graduated, you’ll move out of this vile little box you call an apartment and back home.”

“You know damn well that was never a home for me. I won’t move back there.”

“You will, you have training to complete for Skyline. It’s non-negotiable.”

“Father, I’m an adult. I can make my own decisions, my own choices.”

“No need. Your path is already paved, Isla.”

My gut told me I needed to turn around and leave, give her time to have this conversation with her father without my interference. As I told myself it was the right decision, my heart had a mind of its own and the desire to protect her ran deep through my bones.

Turning the knob to her apartment, I pushed the door open and stepped over the threshold, met with two pairs of eyes who had opposite reactions to my arrival.

The gorgeous stormy gray-blue I’d fallen in love with looked at me, softening as they searched my face and a soft smile dusted her face.

But next to her, her father stared at me with such hatred in his eyes, my heart rate accelerated.

“Who the hell are you?” he snarled, taking a step toward me and asserting his dominance.

Isla scampered across the room to stand beside me. Reaching down, she grabbed my hand in solidarity, lacing our fingers together. “This is Caleb,” she told her father with her chin held high. “My boyfriend.”

A fake smile instantly spread across his face, and he crossed his arms over his chest. “And does your boyfriend know you are an engaged woman?”

The feeling of being sucker punched exploded in my abdomen.

Engaged?

I ripped my gaze from Isla’s father, turning my attention to her, noting the way her eyes widened and she shook her head furiously.

“I’m not engaged!” she raged, fury taking over her body so deeply she was trembling. She pointed at her father. “He’s trying to force me into a marriage to a man Ijust meton Thanksgiving, all for the sake of his company.”

Turning to me, she brought her hands to my face, and I could see the fear in her eyes. “Caleb, I’m not engaged, I swear to you. I swear.” Tears welled up in her eyes and began streaming silently down her face as she trembled against me.

Wrapping my arms around her shoulders protectively, I turned us both so I was facing her father again. “Why are you here?” I questioned as I held Isla close. Her face was buried in my chest, and although I was the one who appeared to be comforting her, she unknowingly was keeping me grounded.

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