Page 24 of Legacy of Lies
“Sooner or later, she’ll join her family in hating us.”
“That can’t be true, Garrison.”
“Just you wait.” He dropped his hand on the table hard enough for her to jump.
The food came—thank goodness she could focus on taking a few bites instead of trying to deflect Garrison’s anger.
When his Adam’s apple bobbed with a bite, a quiver worked its way through her belly. Dragging her eyes from his corded neck, her gaze passed his stubbled chin and rested on his firm lips. Which moved as he talked.
Pay attention.
“... why are you sticking up for my kid? I mean, since you have ties to the Brand family—”
“I have no connection to them,” she snapped. A patron at a nearby table glanced over. She took a steadying breath. “Trust me. I don’t want anything to do with Hank, and the feeling is most definitely mutual.”
“Why?” Garrison held up his hand. “I’m sorry. Forget it. It’s not my business.”
“No, that’s okay. I’ll answer your first question. I’m sticking up for Zach because I understand why he got bullied.” She folded the napkin in half and half again, so neatly. “I grew up without a mother or a father.” The napkin morphed into a crumpled ball in her fist. “I spent my childhood being told I wasn’t good enough because I didn’t have a mom or dad. You’d think nowadays, kids wouldn’t get picked on for having single parents or absent parents. But yes, when I saw Zach being bullied, I couldn’t stand by and do nothing.”
Silence stretched as he studied her face. A muscle ticked in his jaw. The intense focus ... no. She wouldn’t squirm beneath the weight of his stare.
She shifted in her seat. Damn it.
“Thank you for watching out for my boy.” His voice, like coarse gravel, scraped over her raw nerves, and she shivered.
“Of course,” she mumbled, concentrating on the drop of water scudding down the outside of her glass. Anything to avoid meeting those mesmerizing eyes.
He shifted in the seat, drawing her attention. The harsh set to his mouth compressed into a grim line. “So, what happened when you talked with the principal?”
“Simplest explanation? He blew me off.”
“How do you mean?”
“When I tried a second time to explain my concerns about Zach, Butch insinuated that my job was at risk if I intervened. And that was the end of the conversation.” Something about Garrison made her want to open up, just a tiny bit. “I feel like I failed Zach.”
When Garrison grazed her wrist with his work-roughened fingertips, she jumped.
“Hey. Are you okay?” he asked in a low voice.
“I care about my students.” Damn it if her eyelids didn’t burn. What was it about this man? Maybe it was the very real possibility that her job was at risk.
The corners of his mouth bent downward as he rubbed the back of her hand, sparking sensations up her arm that also fell into the “unprofessional” category. His touch had the added bonus of triggering a sudden urge to cry. For her own sanity, she needed some space. When she withdrew her hand, the absence of his warmth created a strange emptiness inside of her.
“Let’s change the subject, okay?” he said.
The tightness lodged in her throat released. “Sounds good to me.”
“You grew up here, right?”
The one subject she didn’t want to discuss and he had to pick it? “Um, yes.”
“Where did you move from?”
“Texas.”
He closed one eye and squinted. “But you lived with your aunt and uncle.”
And now the urge to squirm started up again. “Yes. They’ve both passed away.”
