Page 5 of Drifting Hearts
“But Shane gets what Shane wants. He’s persuasive.” I exhaled, knowing exactly how Shane had gotten to Archer. The same way he got to me all the time.
“It’s his puppy eyes. He’s such a golden retriever sometimes.”
“And I’m the big, mean, guard dog.”
Archer smiled at that. “Better than a shaking, angry, yappy Chihuahua like me.”
Despite how annoyed I’d been, I let out a chuckle.
“Don’t let Shane give Clayton more money. I don’t care what kind of situation he gets in next. Shane has done more than enough.”
“Are you okay with what he’s doing? If you’re not, you should tell him.”
Archer sighed and fished another chip out of his bag. “We talked about it. He got my okay before setting anything in motion. He thinks I’ll regret it if I walk away and he’s probably right. It’s just hard to know that if Clayton had come to me sooner, I could’ve helped him sooner. But then I wouldn’t have met Shane. It’s a Catch 22. If Clayton hadn’t messed up, I’d be without Shane. But because he did, our friendship is toast.”
Archer upturned the chip bag and dumped the crumbs into his palm, then transferred them to his mouth.
Shane appeared out of nowhere and wrapped his arm around Archer’s waist.
“They’re going to discharge Clayton in the morning.” Shane told us.
“Then I’ll be back in the morning.” I turned away from Shane and Archer and strode toward the elevator. I needed to find dinner. Something deep fried. And a beer. Or maybe a tequila. Though, on second thought, getting blackout drunk was probably a bad idea. It wasn’t as bad of an idea as Shane letting that con man into our lives.But between him and our mom, I didn’t stand a chance. All I could do was stick around and try to mitigate the damage.
Chapter 3
Clayton
As luck would haveit, I didn’t sleep the whole drive. No, that would’ve been too easy. Instead, I got approximately thirty minutes of unconscious bliss before I woke. My arm itched under my cast, slowly driving me closer to insanity with every passing second. And I had six weeks of this.
Six weeks and then physical therapy. If there was any long-term damage, I might not ever mentally recover. Art was the only thing I had left. I wasn’t as talented as Archer, but it was the only thing I’d ever loved doing. Now I couldn’t even hold a pencil.
“Where are we?”
“About three hours from where we’re going,” Kieran answered in the most unhelpful manner possible.
In a way, it was a relief that he hated me. He didn’t know me, but what he knew he didn’t find appealing. I didn’t have to pretend around him or try to hold it together. He already couldn’t think less of me. Still, that didn’t mean I didn’t have to be polite.
“I don’t think I thanked you for driving me.”
Kieran glanced at me, scowling, before looking back at the road. “Don’t thank me. I’m not doing any of this for you.”
“Right.” I wet my lips and leaned back again.
Kieran snapped the radio on to fill the silence between us. There would be no more small talk. I tried in vain to sleep again, but everystupid decision I’d ever made swirled in my brain, nipping at me whenever sleep got too close.
Eventually we pulled into a little town that had baskets filled with brightly colored petunias hanging from the light poles. The fire hydrants were painted to look like very short people dressed in vibrant attire. I had no idea what possessed a city to do something like that, but I didn’t hate it.
Kieran pulled up in front of a basic looking two-story house with a tall fence. Too tired to pretend that I could do anything on my own, I waited while he got my wheelchair out of the back seat. Bracing myself with my good arm, I twisted my body until my legs hung out and dangled over the ground.
“Don’t be—” Kieran reached for me, but I’d already committed to pulling myself forward with my good arm. I aimed my good leg at the ground and winced when it hit. My knee tried to buckle, but I clung to the truck like a lifeline.
“—stupid,” Kieran finished his sentence as he held the wheelchair still.
By the time I got my ass in the seat, I was done for. Everything exhausted me down to the marrow of my bones. I was so tired my hair hurt, which I hadn’t known was possible.
Kieran pushed me up the ramp to the front door.
“Are you going to ding dong ditch and leave me here like an abandoned child?” I didn’t know what possessed me to say it, but Kieran snorted, almost like he found it funny.
