Page 132 of One Good Crash
She practically snorted, "Oh yeah?"
"Yes. Definitely."
"That's such a crock," she said. "If you could 'handle' your mom, we wouldn't be living in this stupid place at all."
I sat back, surprised by her words. I wasn't even sure what she meant. I paused for a long moment before saying, "What, you don't like it here?"
Her only answer was a loose shrug.
My stomach sank. So shedidn'tlike it? If so, that was news to me. I tried to think. What, specifically, didn't she like?
The apartment?
The city?
The state?
What?
I honestly didn't get it.
She adored the apartment. I'd seen the look on her face when we'd first gone through it. Regardless of what she was saying now, she loved it as much as I did.
As far as the city, she'd mentioned more than once how much she enjoyed living near the water. And, she'd been having a blast discovering a new town – or so I'd thought.
As far as the state, just last week she'd mentioned that she was trying to lure her parents down here from Alaska, and not just for a visit.
You didn't do that when you hated a place, did you?
Allie still hadn't answered, and for the first time, I noticed the dark circles under her eyes. Last night, I'd heard her come in, but I'd stayed in my room, mostly because I hadn't wanted to burden her with my sob story just before bed.
Now, I was wondering what I'd missed.
And shestillhadn't answered my question.
I studied her face. "Do you? Hate it, I mean?"
She frowned. "Well, I hatehim. Does that count?"
"Who? Jaden?"
Her only answer was another shrug.
I felt my gaze narrow. "What did he do?"
"Nothing."
Oh, it was something, alright.I could see it all over her face. And now, I was kicking myself for not noticing it sooner.
Desperate for some clue, I said, "He's not as bad as your last boss, is he?"
"I dunno." Now, she looked almost ready to cry. "It's just different, that's all."
My heart clenched, and I felt awful for yapping so long about myself when Allie had problems of her own, serious problems the way it looked. "Tell me," I said, "what did he do?"
"Nothing," she repeated. "He's just an ass, that's all."
"Well, he had to dosomethingif you're about to cry."
