Page 17 of Skid
“I think you’ve got it wrong, Skid. I’m a walking mess with more baggage than you can imagine.”
“You seem to be holding your own.”
“It might look that way, but I’m not.” She shook her head and let out a humorless laugh. “I’ve got a daughter whose father wants nothing to do with her. A family that kicked me out the door and stopped talking to me the minute I decided to keep her. I’m barely hanging onto a job that’s about as bad as it can get, and I live in an apartment that’s barely an apartment. And I can’t even keep the lights on…”
She stopped mid-sentence, and the color drained from her face when she realized she’d said too much. I leaned forward as I asked, “What do you mean you can’t keep the lights on?”
“Nothing,” she clipped. “It’s fine. I’m working on it.”
“Laken.” My gut twisted. “How long have you been without power?”
She held my gaze, but she didn’t answer. After a moment, she grabbed her purse and slid out of the booth. “I appreciate everything you’ve done. I’m more grateful than you’ll ever know. But I’m not looking for a handout or your pity.”
“Hey, wait a second.”
I started to rise, but she was already shaking her head. “I mean it, Skid. You’ve been kind, and I will never forget that.But this…” She motioned her hand between us. “This was never supposed to turn into charity.”
Before I could say another word, she turned and started for the door. I was about to go after her when the waitress showed up at the table with our food. I grabbed my wallet and pulled out a hundred-dollar bill. I offered it to the waitress as I said, “Sorry, but we’ve gotta cut this short. You mind boxing this up?”
“Sure. No problem.”
“Appreciate it.” I eased past her as I said, “I’ll be right back.”
I made my way to the door, but when I stepped outside, there was no sign of Laken. I called out, but she didn’t answer. Only a few heads turned to see what the commotion was about, but nothing led me to find her. She’d either gotten in a taxi or caught the bus. Either way, she was gone.
I went back inside and waited for the waitress to finish boxing up the food. I gave her a tip, thanked her, and with my hands full of our boxed-up dinner, I headed out to the truck. I tossed the food into the passenger seat, then slid behind the wheel and slammed the door.
I sat there, staring out the window as I tried to figure out how I’d made such a mess of things, and what I was going to do about it. I don’t know how long I sat there, but the answer didn’t come. For the first time in a long time, there was something I didn’t have a clue how to fix. But I knew one thing for sure.
Laken was in much need of a break, and I was about to give it to her, even if that meant losing any chance I might have of making her mine.
6
LAKEN
I’d been lying in bed for hours, but I couldn’t sleep. I kept thinking about my date and how I’d completely ruined a perfectly wonderful night. It kept replaying in my mind like a cruel movie I couldn’t turn off. From the very start, it had been an incredible night. He showed up at my door with freshly pressed shirt and a handful of flowers.
A sexy smile played on his lips as he walked me out to his truck, and I could feel the electricity in the air as he helped me inside, making every nerve in my body tingle with a sensation I’d never felt before. I’d never known a man who was so unbelievably handsome.
He was the kind of hot that made a woman forget to breathe just by walking into a room. He could’ve had any woman he wanted, but he was there with me. And he looked at me like I wasn’t just some tired maid with a kid, but something more. Much, much more.
I’d never felt so beautiful, and that was all him. It was the way he looked at me and talked to me. It was the way he held the door open for me and asked questions about myself, like he sincerely wanted to know everything he could about me. AndGod, his smile did something to me that I don’t even know how to describe.
The restaurant was wonderful, and we talked without really trying. It all came so easily. And then, I had to go and ruin it all with one stupid slip. I had no business telling him about the electricity. I don’t know what I was thinking. It was such a stupid mistake. The look on his face wasn’t even pity. It was just concern, but somehow, that made it worse.
I didn’t want him to see me that way. I didn’t want him to know how close to the edge I really was. And there was always the chance that he might think I’m not doing right by Baylor and call child services. They would come asking questions, and if they didn’t think I was doing enough, they could take her away. Just the thought of losing her made my stomach turn to knots.
I inched over to her, curling into her warmth, and kissed her softly on the temple. She was my whole world, and I wouldn’t make it a day without her. Thatch didn’t have kids. There was no way he would understand that. I just prayed I wouldn’t have to explain, not to him or anyone else.
Eventually, I drifted off to sleep, and I slept hard. I had no idea what time it was when I woke with a jolt. My heart was hammering in my chest, and for a split second, I thought there’d been some kind of explosion. Light flooded the room, the TV blared to life at maximum volume, and somewhere over in the corner, my hair dryer kicked on and blew my makeup off the counter.
I sat upright and blinked at the sudden brightness. Baylor squealed and clapped her hands as she cheered, “We got lights, Mommy!”
“Yes, we do.”
I was still trying to make sense of it as I tossed the covers back and got out of bed. I rushed over and turned off the dryer,and after I turned down the TV, I started turning off some of the lights.
We had power, but it didn’t make any sense. I hadn’t paid the bill. Not even close. The reconnection fee alone was a hundred bucks, and I didn’t even have that. I’d been planning to apply for a credit card or to talk to the office manager about picking up some extra shifts, but I hadn’t gathered the nerve.
