He seems different today. Nicer, even. But that doesn’t really make him any less intimidating.
“No really.” I clear my throat, angling my body toward him. “Thank you. Thank you for the clothes. Thank you for letting me stay here. Thank you for the ride. Just thank you.”
He momentarily meets my gaze before turning back to his food.
“Don’t mention it.” He tears off a corner of a biscuit with his fingers and tosses it into his mouth. “Once you’re finished with breakfast, you can get changed and I’ll give you a ride to wherever you want to go.”
“Oh.” My heart drops. I should want to leave. Only I don’t. I have no desire to go back to Rocks Peak and I sure as hell don’t want to go home.
Here I thought he was being sweet by buying me clothes, when in reality he was showing me to the front door. Maybe Link was wrong. Maybe he doesn’t want me here after all.
“Or you could stay,” Link offers, his eyes darting between me and Titus.
“I’m sure she has somewhere else she would rather be.” Titus shakes his head, popping another bite of biscuit into his mouth.
“Actually.” I clear my throat, and both sets of eyes swing in my direction. “If it’s not too much trouble, do you think I could stay another day or two? If not that’s totally fine. It’s just, well, I don’t have any of my stuff. I left my purse and phone at the lake house in Rocks Peak. And honestly, I really don’t have anywhere else to go,” I lie. I have somewhere to go.Home. I just don’t want to.
I’ve been planning my escape for years. Looking forward to the day when I could leave Raleigh behind and never look back. True, this isn’t exactly how I pictured it—or at all how I pictured it for that matter—but I’m out. I’m off the grid and no one knows where I am. I finally escaped. And even though I have no idea of my next move, the one thing I do know is that there’s no way I’m going back.
“Of course you can stay here,” Link responds, but I don’t miss the look that passes over Titus’ face when he says it. “Can’t she, T?”
“I guess a couple days won’t hurt,” he grumbles, picking the rest of his biscuit up off his plate without touching the gravy next to it. “I have some work to do.” He pushes to a stand. “I’ll run you out to Rocks Peak to get your things later this afternoon.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” I object. The thought of going to Rocks Peak right now is more than I can stomach.
Titus turns toward me. “We’ll be in and out. You can get your things and then come back here for the time being.”
“I’m honestly not even sure how to get there,” I admit.
“Do you know what road it’s on?”
“Halls Creek, I think.”
“Then I can get you there.” With that, he spins on his heel and walks away, disappearing outside seconds later.
“See, told you that you could stay.” Link smiles to himself. “Now come on, eat up before it gets cold,” he instructs before shoving another large bite into his mouth.