Page 20 of Valentine Dare

I put my hand on his shoulders.

“I know. It’s understandable. You lost your dad, and he didn’t. I felt bad about it. I didn’t know how to talk to you back then. I couldn’t. Because, I was with Kurt, and I had to take his side.”

“You belong to no one. Not Kurt then, and certainly not now. It’s like you don’t get it.”

He turned to walk away from me. I didn’t get it, but I wanted him to make me understand.

“Go back to school. You shouldn’t be here. I just need time.”

He didn’t turn to face me. He walked away, and like a lost dog, I followed him. I didn’t feel like going to class. I knew he was hurting the same way he’d seen I was in a mess last month, when mom left me at the country club, and he tried to heal me. I just wanted to do the same with him.

“Are you going to keep following me?” he bit back, and he must have seen the fear that flashed across my eyes. The kind, gentle Brent had left and been replaced with this one, who had so much emotion in him to turn the field into flames.

“Yes!” I crossed my arms and showed him I wasn’t going to let him frighten me away.

“Fine, then you better just jump in the car.”

“I planned to do that anyway.”

He paused and looked at me, probably sizing me up, wondering why the weak girl he rescued had disappeared. I’d spent all month thinking about it; my parents may be alive, but there was no denying I was an orphan, otherwise I wouldn’t be sleeping in his guest room.

When we reached the car, and he tossed his bag to the back, it dawned on me that Trent would need a ride.

“Hey, did you tell Trent you were leaving?”

He chuckled as he stepped into the car. I quickly did the same before he changed his mind and decided to leave me.

“He’ll figure it out once he hears the gossip. One thing I won’t miss about this place is gossip. It can eat you alive.”

“Only if you let it.”

I put on my seatbelt. He gave me the same puzzled look he did once before, only this time he wasn’t frowning but smiling, which made me know he didn’t hate having company but rather needed it, even if he didn’t want to admit it to himself.

* * *

I didn’t askBrent where we were going because he was driving, but it was clear we were leaving the city and going to some fields or part of the mountainside. I’d been there before because Nan was a great believer of hiking. She loved roaming the mountains, but then some big argument between her and mom lead to me not being able to visit her anymore. I did my best to please my dad by making sure I kept Kurt happy, and the same with mom by keeping dad happy, but never in the midst of it all did I ever care or wonder about my own happiness, until now.

“Penny for your thoughts,” Brent said, and it was then I realized we were by a spot near a cliff. I was so lost in my own thoughts, I didn’t even realize he’d stopped driving.

“I was just thinking about Nan. She used to bring me here when I was a kid.”

“Here?”

I shrugged. “Not even sure where we are, but she wasn’t much of a beach person. She preferred quiet spots. She hated crowds.”

“Why are you speaking about her in the past tense. Has she passed away?”

I unbuckled my seatbelt to face him, so we could speak face-to-face.

“No. Not that. Just mom and her had a big fight a few years ago and as a result of that, she stopped coming around. No one was allowed to contact her or anything.”

“Surprised you never tried. Or she didn’t try to at least contact you.”

I nodded. “Yeah, true. But I have no idea what the argument was about.”

“Doesn’t matter. Family is family. I swear, you people are in a world of your own.”

He unbuckled his seat belt, took the keys out and then opened the door. I quickly followed suit, hating his tone.

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