And she just held me.
After a couple of minutes, the storm passed—mostly. My breath came easier and I pulled away to wipe my face.
“Sandra?” Anne hollered over her shoulder. “You mind taking my tables? I need a few minutes.”
“Sure thing, Anne.”
I felt so stupid. I shook my head, still too ashamed to look Anne in the face. “You don’t have to do that. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have come.”
“Looks to me like you should’ve come sooner. Are you okay talking here? We can move into the office in the back if you need privacy. Whatever makes you comfortable.”
“It’s nothing like that. I don’t even know why I cried. I just, I guess I feel kinda lost.”
“Okay. Let’s start with the basics. Are you hungry or thirsty?”
I shook my head.
“Where are you staying?”
I shrunk down into the booth, my shoulders coming up to my ears. “I have an apartment. And a job. I’m okay, I swear. I just”—I sighed and finished in a whisper— “feel so alone.”
“Do you have a phone?” Anne asked.
I nodded.
“Hand it over.”
I dug through my backpack, still avoiding looking in her eyes, and unlocked my phone then gave it to her.
She tapped at the screen for a minute then gave it back. “I saved my number in there. I want you to call me every day.”
“But—”
“Nope. I feel stupid for not doing this when you first came in months ago. I want you to call me every day. Even if you don’t have anything new to tell me. I am here for you, Indy.”
“Thanks, Anne. That means lot.”
She titled her head. “Honestly, I’m kinda surprised to see you in here alone.”
“Oh?”
“How did things go with Dylan?”
I dropped my head and traced my fingers over the edge of the table. “We, uh, kinda got together.”
“That son of a bitch!” Anne bit out. “I can’t believe he took advantage of you.”
“He didn’t.” I jerked my head up and stared intently at her. “I wanted to be with him. Istillwant to be with him. But he said I wasn’t ready. And he kinda, sorta ended things between us because of it.”
Anne frowned. “I’m confused. What happened between you two exactly?”
And then the whole story came spilling out. My certainty he held blame in my dad going away. My plan to get info or revenge while living with him. How amazing he’d been. How I’d slowly fallen in love with him. And how he ended things.
Anne listened to the whole story and had a small smile before she shook her head. “See now, that’s where I think you’re wrong.”
“Which part?”
“That he ended things with you. Sounds to me like he still wants to be with you. He just realized you two had a total power imbalance.”
