We made a little bit more conversation before we said our goodbyes. Next, I dialed Dominic’s number. I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until he answered after a few rings.
“Hey there, honey,” he said. His voice instantly calmed my nerves and made my heart race as the same time.
“Hey,” I answered.
“I already miss you,” he sighed. I could hear the fabric moving around on his end, as if he were lying in bed. “If Ace will let me, I’ll find a way to come see you.”
I’d love nothing more—but not yet. I had to get things sorted in my head first. One of which was something that was connected to the man I was talking to right now. He made me feel things that I wasn’t sure were right.
“In a few weeks, if you can,” I said, my voice soft. “How are you doing?”
I knew he hadn’t stayed with Zevon and Sage, and I couldn’t blame him for that. Dominic wanted absolutely nothing to do with Sage. Some of that was due to his own background before Ace had found him.
“I’m hanging in there,” he sighed.
“The truth?”
“I’m dealing,” he huffed. “Be better if you were here. So, have you met anyone yet?”
“My neighbor. She’s a bit strange. I think you’d like her,” I laughed. “She’s good at running into me.”
“Oh? You didn’t get hurt, did you?” Concern clouded his voice.
“No. She’s definitely different though. Seems nice enough.”
“Good. Hey! We could Facetime at some point, y’know?”
“Sure,” I agreed. At least we would be able to see each other.
Talking to Dominic made my heart hurt. I wanted to see him, to touch him. But, if I wanted to find myself, I had to do what I was doing.
“Shit. Ace is calling. I better go,” Dominic said sadly just as Hope, my cat, jumped into my lap, demanding attention.
“I’ll call you later?”
“You better.” His voice was soft as he spoke his last three words before hanging up. His broken words matched my broken heart.
Lisa hummed to some song in her head as she mixed the ingredients for a cake in a metal bowl, every so often hitting the side with the spoon. I wasn’t sure why she was baking, since it was just another day. I wouldn’t be getting anything except for another bruise or words yelled at me for my birthday.
Expecting something meant disappointment once again.
“Don’t have that look, Scarlett,” Lisa gently scolded over her shoulder at me.
I was sitting on the counter, watching her work. She’d told me that I was not to lift a finger today while my father was at work. Sure, I was enjoying the day off from doing a bunch of chores, but I knew the little reprieve I was granted was going to disappear with a snap of a pair of fingers sooner rather than later.
“Sorry,” I mumbled, dropping my eyes to my swinging feet. My shoes were filthy, covered in dirt and grime, among other things I didn’t want to think about. My shoulders sagged in something like anxiety. I felt like I carried everything, and in a way I did.
My father hated me, I knew he did. He wasn’t secretive about his feelings, and I had a good inkling that tonight when he got home wouldn’t be good for me. Most nights weren’t.
“What’s the matter, sweetheart?” Lisa asked, turning to face me. The sun shining in from the window made her glow like an angel. She was the closest thing I had to a mother, and I cherished all the moments we got together.
“I hate it here.”
“I know, honey. But there’s nowhere else you can go right now. Your father would be upset if you just left.”
“No he wouldn’t. He hates me.”
“He’s trying,” she said. “When you get older, I have a plan to get you away, but right now you just have to stay here. It’s not that bad. Just a few more years.”
