Tara just laughed on the other end. But it was, unlike my father, a good-natured laugh, a laugh that seemed to say, “You go, girl!”
“Well, you’re certainly welcome to, but I wouldn’t come over for a bit,” she said. “I’m actually going to see Brock.”
“Oh, to—”
“Just us.”
I got the hint well enough.
“Cool, so I take it I should wait like an hour after he leaves so the place smells nicer.”
She chortled.
“You say that having hung out with Steele recently.”
I had no response. Tara just chuckled at me.
“I’ll talk to Brock and I’ll get you a time it’s safe to come over. We’ll do our best to keep the place clean.”
“OK, OK, thanks, sis.”
She hung up right after. The only thing that I regretted was that I had expressed my gratitude a little too flippantly, like the way I’d say thanks to a waiter—I’d meant it, but I hadn’t put any weight behind it. Still, I had a place.
I would not be homeless.
I didn’t know about a job, but I couldn’t imagine my father would want to fire us both so quickly. That would look embarrassing for him to the board. That was my hope, at least.
But now, with an entire day ahead and no place to go, what to do?
See Steele again. Talk about this morning some more.
I dismissed that thought at first. I reached out to Kathryn, who said she had other plans for a date. I reached out to Justine, whom I rarely spoke with outside of our friend group, but she didn’t respond to my text messages.
I suspected that under any other circumstances, I would have taken the outcome of the day more or less lying down and move forward. But the energy I got from defying my dad and knowing I could stay with Tara wasn’t something so easily just chucked off. I needed to burn it off, and exercise wasn’t going to do the trick.
I had to see Steele again.
* * *
As I saw the Santa Maria Auto Repair shop in the distance, the very shop where I’d seen Steele get arrested and where the cop had threatened me, I couldn’t help but smile at how much had changed.
The first time I’d come there, I’d hated even going to the gas station—and then I developed a very good reason to never return. I came here only for work, begging my father to hire legitimate security every time, and then kicking Steele out when Brock left for Tara.
But now…
I didn’t have an explanation for this. There was no perfect reason for why I was now coming over. I just…was.
Steele understood me. That was the most concise and best way to explain it.
I pulled up. He was seated outside on a chair, looking out over the New Mexico horizon, sunglasses covering his face.
He looked…glum.
There was one other guy with him. Garrett, I think his name was. The playboy. Garrett looked chipper, almost buzzed, but Steele looked like his dog had just died. I got out of the car cautiously. Steele didn’t look up at me, but Garrett did.
“Oh, shit, one of the Rogers girls!” he said, standing up. “How you doin’, pretty lady? I—”
“Go the fuck inside, Garrett.”
