Page 59 of Needing Your Love
I’d seen glimpses of his true self here and there, enough to whet my appetite for another taste of his sweet surrender. Right now, the boy needed me more than ever, even if he didn’t recognize the truth. But I didn’t want other townsfolk watching us like a bunch of rubbernecks, desperate to gobble up the next bit of gossip to spread around to their neighbors.
At least no one sat at the table backing against his, so we had a little space for privacy.
“Jimmy?” I kept my tone low, hoping to ease him gently from whatever nightmare he relived.
He blinked a few times, sucking in a rattling breath. A full-body shudder shifted him on the bench before he straightened. “Wh-Where’s DJ?” he asked, his voice haggard as though he’d been crying for hours.
I held his gaze, pouring all my concern and encouragement from my eyes. “Safe in the kitchen with Addy.”
“K-Kurt?” He still clutched his arms around his body.
“Gone. Jamie took him home. He can’t hurt you,” I assured him with the firmest tone I could muster. “Won’t ever if I have any say on the matter.”
Jimmy’s chest seemed to collapse, and he swallowed hard, his stare dropping to the table.
“Jimmy.”
He shook his head, slipped out of the booth, and stumbled for the exit.
“Jimmy!”
The door closed behind him, and heaviness settled in my chest, tugging my chin downward until I closed my eyes. I stayed put, reminded yet again that I wasn’t wanted. No longer needed even for soothing his nerves.
The kitchen door swung open, and I turned to find Addy sticking her head out, checking if the coast was clear.
Lips in a grim line, I strode toward her, digging a few bills from my pocket to cover both Jimmy’s and my bill. “Thanks for looking out for DJ.”
“Of course, Chief,” she whispered, accepting the money with shaking fingers. “Mary should be here?—”
“What trouble has Kurt caused now?” Mary grumbled, shoving into the restaurant. She clutched her cane in a white-knuckled grip, eyes blazing as she shuffled my way. “If I could still take him over my knee, Chief, I promise I’d set him straight. Should have done more of that when he was younger.”
“Wasn’t your fault, Mary,” I assured her quietly, leading her to an empty booth by a touch to her elbow. “He’s a grown-ass man who’s making his own choices—poor ones for sure.”
She sat, and I perched on the bench across from her.
Concern lined her face, her eyes wary. “Was he behind the wheel?”
“According to him, no. He said his friend drove him down here.”
Her lips pressed tight briefly. “Don’t believe a single thing that boy tells you. He’s full of lies and deceit.”
I didn’t bother arguing. “He spewed some homophobic bullshit, Mary—I won’t put up with that in this town.”
Her gaze narrowed as though momma bear had awoken—and not for her son. “What did he say?”
“Called Jimmy some not so nice names.”
“In front of DJ?”
I nodded.
“I’ll whip that boy’s ass!”
Leaning onto the table, I held her blazing stare. “Think he would be open to going to therapy? Mr. Henderson has become a changed man because of it—might do Kurt a world of good.”
Mary shook her head. “Unfortunately, no. I’ve already tried to talk to him about getting some help, but he’s stubborn as his old man was. There won’t be any change in his heart or mind until something terrible happens. I’d thought the DUI would be enough but clearly not.”
I hoped Mary’s prediction about her son’s behavior didn’t come true. The “something terrible” lay in the back of my mind, and I kept my fingers crossed that whatever it might be took place outside of Pippen Creek, far from my jurisdiction.
