Why has he never done that?I wondered to myself.
“I may have brought you to the wrong place,” Lyric said with a deep chuckle. “Just be on your game.” When he winked at me I felt it from my head to my toes.
After Mabel brought us some coffee and the man across from me watched with a horrid fascination as I doused my cup of java with multiple creams and a load of sugar, he asked me, taking a sip of his plain black coffee, if I could even taste coffee anymore.
In response, I rolled my eyes while trying to hold back the smirk threatening to lift my face again.
He then asked me if I could explain a bit about what brought me intoNo Surrender.That changed my mood quickly.
I sat there for a minute trying to come up with how to explain what I’d noticed or been feeling without sounding silly. He seemed to catch on to my thoughts when I didn’t speak.
“Always go with your gut.” He tapped a closed fist a couple times on his stomach. “Whatever made you think you needed to come to us, go with it, Ruby. It’s always better to be safe than sorry. You can tell me anything.”
Even though I didn’t know him well, I was mystified at the realization that I felt like I could honestly tell him anything.
The comfort he exuded seemed to do the trick and relax me some. Still, I didn’t know where to start. How much did he need to know to understand my life and where it had taken me? And the big question running through my mind was, what would he think? Would he look at me differently after hearing me out?
Once again reading my mind, he spoke once more. “The more you can tell me the better picture it will paint and make things easier for me to understand. Start at the beginning.”
The beginning? Okay, that wasn’t an easy conversion, but I’d do my best.
“My mom left me with my grandparents at two days old.” I sucked in a breath because just that one sentence always made me feel things I tried to forget. “But I had a good life with my Grams and Gramps. They were honest to God the best thing that could have happened to me because life with my mother wouldn’t have been easy.”
Lyric tilted his head as if confused. If I’d never been with my mother, how would I know? And it was how I knew that put me on the defense and pissed me off versus being melancholy.
“I know this because my half-brother also got dropped into my grandparents’ laps when he was eight years old. And I’ve heard some of the horror stories of what life was like with her at times. He too was better off, but Jett didn’t understand that at first.”
A small smile lifted my cheeks when I thought about my brother.
“Jett is eighteen now.” I laughed as I saw Lyric’s face scrunch up theatrically and he gave a fake shudder. “I know it’s not an easy age. He’s bitter and moody, but he’s also sweet, talented, and pretty amazing at times.”
Lyric smiled. “I do remember that age so all I can say is, you’ve really had your work cut out for you and it isn’t over yet.”
There he went again, making me forget the shitty stuff going on for a brief second and had me laughing again.
“Sorry for interrupting,” he said after a minute before clearing his throat. “Please go on.”
I’d much rather laugh at Lyric than talk about what I needed to, but I had to get more out so he could give me some direction, and most importantly, help. Maybe I could throw a bag over the handsome devil's face so I could focus?
Exhaling softly, I continued.
“Okay, so, after Jett arrived we had a couple of good years with my grandma before she got sick and passed away.” This time I glanced down because I couldn’t handle the sympathy if he wanted me to keep talking instead of crying.
“I was eighteen then and decided to start college and go to nursing school. It wasn’t easy because my brother was only ten, but we had Gramps.”
A warmth ran through me at the thought of my grandpa. But I wish grandma was with us too. I wasn’t sure how much emotional detail to add. This was business and we were truly talking for the first time except for a couple sentences here or there that were not personal. I decided to keep going with more facts than feelings.
“Fast forward a couple more years and grandpa was getting on in age. He is tired even if he’s stubborn and won’t admit it, his arthritis is getting worse, and it’s time for someone to start taking care of him. That would be me.”
It had become my responsibility.
One I happily took on.
Looking back up at the man sitting across from me, I went on. “My grandpa didn’t love that and still tried to do what he could. He’s a tough old bird that’s for sure. Anyway, I finished nursing school, continued to take care of Jett and him, and got a second job at night at a club.”
Lyric’s hazel eyes showed respect but when the word club left my mouth his body stiffened and his gaze intensified. I hadn’t even got to the main part and already I could see he was taking this very seriously. That's what I wanted, right? I’d been reluctant to drag anyone into a situation I wasn’t exactly sure about but I was exhausted from worrying and as my grandma liked to call it, dog-tired from not sleeping.
So, yes it was what I wanted. It was what Ineeded.
