I nodded slowly, taking in that information. I wasn’t a connoisseur when it came to accents, and his was thicker than Crew’s, but if Crew had toned his down over the years, then…
“Where are you from?”
Tobias pulled his hands in front of himself, wringing his fingers. Poor guy radiated anxiety. “I was born and raised in Arkansas, Chef. A tiny town called Tiger Falls, which you never woulda heard of.”
“I’ve heard of it.” Crew mentioned it being close to him. Something about a camp there. I could remember the frown he’d had when he mentioned it. Was that why Tobias had reacted how he did when he saw Crew?
I shook my head, looking up—literally, the kid was four inches taller than me—at Tobias. “So you’re not used to a big place like this. You’re barely legal to drink, so I can imagine it’s scary here.”
His replying sigh seemed to deflate him further, his back leaning against the counter behind him. “Sure is. I came here ’cus all the shows Mama watched were in New York. People say dreams come true here.”
The mention of dreams coming true had me pausing. Here was this kid, hopeful for something big and bright, whereas I’d lived here my entire life, and my dream was still buried. “Yeah, some do. There’s more opportunity here, that’s for sure.”
“I sure hope so. Mama worries about me.”
I turned my back on him, busying myself with cleaning up. There was still time before others started to trickle in for work, including Crew. I needed to get a game plan together for helping Tobias andwarding off Brandt, but I couldn’t focus. My thoughts raced at what felt like a hundred miles a second. Something was off.
Turning to face Tobias again, I carefully chose my words. “I knew about your town because of Crew, you know. He said he grew up close to Tiger Falls. Mentioned a camp of some sort there?”
There it was. Tobias went pale, nearly collapsing. His voice was shaky as he spoke, thick and unsteady. “O-oh, really?”
I narrowed my eyes at him, wishing I could read them like I could Crew’s. I couldn’t. I didn’t have to. Tobias was scared, and he was hiding something. “Do you know him, Tobias?”
A sharp intake of breath caught in his throat. “I?—”
I paused.
He didn’t answer.
“When you saw him that day, you froze. Looked like you saw a damn ghost.”
He bobbed his head slowly, his chest rising faster. “Felt like it.”
“Did something happen between the two of you?” Crew said he didn’t know Tobias, but I wanted to give Tobias the chance to explain.
Avoiding my eyes, he shook his head, stopping before nodding, then shaking it again. “No?” he questioned. “It ain’t that easy to explain, but I don’t think he remembers me. If he don’t remember me, I don’t wanna remind him.”
“Remind him of what?”
I didn’t need a special, intuitive gift to see the agony behind Tobias’s sorrowful eyes. When he looked up, finally meeting my gaze, I almost asked him to look away. It was on the tip of my tongue to do so. Something evil crawled up my spine, my skin tingling with goosebumps and the urge toscratch.The despondency in Tobias’s eyes almost ruined me right then and there.
How could a kid hold so much… was that remorse? Regret? Pure, unfiltered grief I used to hold onto when I realized I’d lost the love of my parents.
After what felt like an eternity, Tobias spoke. “Of what he ran here to forget. He don’t remember me. He don’t remember our pain.” He wavered, his voice cracking as his eyes filled with tears. “It would be great if I could talk to him about it. Knowing someone out there shares thesame memories, no matter how deep they’re buried, sure would make it less lonely. But I get it. I pray every day that I’ll forget.”
What the fuck was I supposed to say to that? “What the hell happened to you, kid?”
Tobias pushed himself off the counter, turning away. I could see his arms moving like he was wiping his face. “Tiger Claw Camp happened, Chef.”
I thought back on the mirrored sadness I saw in Crew’s eyes each time I looked into them. Something deep, dark, and shattered.
When I lost everyone around me, I yearned for someone. Anyone who could understand. Someone who could tell me I’d be okay.
I wanted a hug.
I wanted someone so badly that I started to pay for company.
Did Crew sell himself for the same reason?
