Page 48 of Otto: The Hawthornes

My cheeks felt cold once his hands were gone.

“Why are you angry at me?” I asked, the strain of the morning finally showing in my voice. I’d been pleasant and accommodating and everything I’d been raised to be, especially in regard to men. I’d answered their questions and helped them and let Otto drag me into town. I’d kept my voice even and my tone easy.

But this was infuriating.

“That cabin doesn’t have electricity,” Otto barked, his voice growing louder.

“Lots of people don’t have electricity,” I pointed out, widening my eyes at him. “You get used to it.”

“Like hell you do.”

“That’s where I live, Otto. It’s my home!” He stood up and I followed him, jumping to my feet. I hadn’t raised my voice, but I could feel it quivering with disbelief and anger. “You don’t get to just—”

“I sure as fuck do.”

“Don’t talk to me like that,” I hissed, glancing over at the men who were watching us from across the room.

“You’re not goin’ back to that piece of shit cabin, Esther,” he said flatly, glaring at me. “End of story.”

“No, not end of story,” I argued.

I was frustrated and angry and so overwhelmed, but a small part inside of me reveled in the fact that I was sticking up for myself. It feltgood. Another part, one I wouldn’t even acknowledge, was so relieved that I wouldn’t be going back to that place in the woods, that I could’ve cried.

“You like shittin’ in a hole in the ground?” he roared, flinging aside the chair between us. “That fun for you?”

My cheeks burned in embarrassment and that small bubble ofgooddisappeared but I refused to look at our audience again.

“Do you like making other people feel bad about themselves?” I said quietly, my eyes burning. “That fun foryou?”

“Esther,” he murmured apologetically, his shoulders immediately slumping in regret.

“It might not be the best place to live,” I admitted quietly. “But I made do. I made it work. I made a home for myself.”

“I know you did,” he replied, nodding. “I saw that.”

All of a sudden I felt so incredibly tired. I dropped back down into my seat.

“I’ve got a place,” he said, crouching down in front of me so we were eye to eye. “It’s not anythin’ fancy, yeah? But it’s better than where you were. You can stay with me.”

“I can’t live with you.” The idea of it was so outside the realm of reality that I shouldn’t have been surprised after the morning I’d had, but it still shocked me. “I barely know you.”

“We’re havin’ a baby.”

I opened my mouth to ask what that had to do with anything when I was distracted by a couple of women, loudly and unapologetically coming in the front door like they owned the place.

“Shit,” Otto mumbled under his breath.

“Otto,” the younger woman said breezily as she strode toward us. “Introduce me, honey.”

“Mom,” he replied cautiously, rising to his full height. “What are you doin’ here?”

“Your dad called me, obviously,” she said, smiling down at me. “Hi, sweetheart.”

“Hello,” I murmured.

She was amazing. Her makeup was flawless, black liner coming to sharp points at the corners of her eyes, and her hair was a vivid purple that somehow didn’t seem too young for her. She was wearing a baggy hoodie with some kind of skull emblem and a pair of wide-legged jeans, but somehow didn’t look sloppy. What was most striking about her was the way she held herself, head up, eyes blazing in a dare to anyone who messed with her. I’d never seen anyone like her—not close up, at least.

“Mom, this is Esther,” Otto said with a sigh. “Esther, my mom, Heather.”

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