Page 49 of Second Dance
Alex’s voice was raw when he spoke. “The idea of anything happening to you—I don’t think I could handle it, Bella. I already lost your mom. I can’t lose you too.”
“I know. I was stupid. I talked myself into thinking he was reformed since that arrest we saw. I’m an idiot.”
I glanced at her in the rearview mirror, softening my voice. “You weren’t stupid. Everyone wants to know where they come from. But sometimes, the answers aren’t what we hope for. I should know.”
Her eyes flicked up, meeting mine in the mirror. “Why are you here?” Her tone wasn’t accusing, merely curious.
“I was walking on the beach when I saw your dad. Looking for you.”
“I figured you’d snuck out to spend the day with your friends,” Alex said. “So I went down to your usual spot to haul you back home. But you weren’t there. And I panicked.”
Bella groaned. “Did you ask my friends where I was?”
“I did. They didn’t know. That’s when I saw the cop,” Alex said.
“You talked to the cops?” Bella asked. “Oh God.”
“I was scared out of my mind,” Alex said.
“He was completely frantic,” I said. “I could tell the moment I spotted him with the policeman. I knew something was wrong.”
“Can you ever forgive me?” Bella asked.
Alex faced forward again, his jaw working, his chest rising and falling unevenly. “I’m very angry right now, but, yes, I can forgive you.”
Bella nodded, shrinking into herself even further. The fight had gone out of her.
“Do you know what my friend Lila always says?” I asked. “That everything’s better when our stomachs are full. There’s a little café up the highway with good sandwiches and an ocean view. Are you hungry? Maybe we stop for lunch before we head home?”
“I need to wash my hands,” Bella said. “With hot water and lots of soap. Ugh. And my hair. His hand was so dirty.”
“I might need to wash my shoe,” I said. “Where it touched that disgusting phone.”
Bella giggled, then sniffed. Alex smiled, shaking his head.
“That was something else, Gillie. Kicking it out of his hand.” Alex glanced over at me, his eyes shining with admiration.
“I guess all those years dancing were worth something after all. I just hope he doesn’t know about the storage cloud. If he has video of that, it might look really bad.”
“Bad for him,” Alex said. “Not you.”
I really hoped that was true. Because all Alex needed was a video of his unhinged friend kicking a phone out of a drunk man’s hand.
11
ALEX
We stopped at a sandwich shop with weathered shingles and a deck lined with picnic tables. By then, I’d calmed down a little. Still, the violent urges I’d had earlier had left me wrung out like a dirty dishcloth. Gillian, fortunately, seemed to be keeping it together. Bella seemed to be in a similar daze as I, but somehow we managed to get out of the car and follow Gillian inside the small restaurant perched above the cliffs. We made our way outside, finding a table with a view of the ocean. Bella and I sat on one side of the table, and Gillian on the other. Bella kept her head down, brown hair covering most of her tear-stained face.
Soon, we had waters and menus.
I was still too upset to feel hungry and assumed the others weren’t either, but Gillian had been right to suggest lunch. We needed a breather before we went back to real life.
We ordered sandwiches. BLTs for Bella and me and a turkey and cheddar for Gillian. After the server left, we sat in silence for a moment, tension and uncertainty taking the place of words.
“I should text your brother,” I said. “Let him know you’re all right.”
“He knows too?” Bella asked, cheeks flushing.
