Worse.
“But now he’s free to walk around town.” He reached for the chain on her swing, bringing her closer. So close her denim-clad knee brushed his. “You can’t afford to hide the truth anymore.”
A million thoughts tumbled through her mind. Like how Dawson had guessed the truth in the first place. Why he’d cared enough to come over and talk to her about it. What he thought of her.
But all of it got overridden by that touch of their knees. By his hand so close to hers on the swing chain. A finger’s width apart, maybe. Her heart pounded wildly.
“Everyone will think I’m a coward for not standing up to him.” Which she supposed was true.
Hazel returned, running around them in circles before lying down nearby to gnaw on the orange ball.
“If you out him for the bastard he is, Bailey, everyone isgoing to see you’ve got plenty of spine.” Even as the words were kind, his voice was hard.
His eyes took on a steely challenge.
She pulled her swing chain from his grip and let the seat straighten itself out again, her feet whirling in the moonlight for a moment before she righted herself.
“I still don’t understand how you could tell.”
“The Hastings’ house is my fifth foster home. I’ve been around other kids who’ve been hurt by people they trusted. I know what that looks like.”
“There are no bruises.” She slanted a glance his way.
He shook his head. “I’ve survived the foster system this long by being able to read people. And I can spot fear and betrayal almost as fast as I can spot an abuser.”
She hated to imagine how he’d come by that kind of knowledge.
“Someone hurt a friend of yours?”
“Yeah, a girl in my old neighborhood—her boyfriend hit her sometimes. It took me a while to understand why she’d cover for him.” He stared up at the stars for a long moment. “But things were complicated for her. No matter how much shit the boyfriend doled out, I guess she thought he was still a step up from her parents. And maybe he was. But all I know is, when things got rough between them and the guy would show up around school searching for her—she got that same panicked look in her eyes that you had today.”
Bailey scuffed her toe through the wet grass while the swing twisted, trying to imagine herself as Dawson had seen her today. She wasn’t used to anyone paying such careful attention to her. For a long time, her parents had been too embroiled in their own drama to appreciate the nuances of her life.
“Did that girl get away from the boy eventually?” She hoped that Dawson’s friend had saved herself.
“I’m not sure. I don’t keep up with people from that neighborhood anymore. Too many of them wanted to give me updates on my mother’s condition—she’s an addict—and I got to the point where I just couldn’t hear it.” He traced the pattern of the metal chain links on his swing. “That might sound callous, but?—”
“No.” Bailey turned to face him. “It sounds really smart.”
Nodding, he seemed to weigh that idea before continuing. “But I didn’t come here to talk about me. I came here because I want you to tell someone. Start with your dad.” He pointed to the house, where her father was now wrestling a bag of dog food into an overhead cabinet where it didn’t belong. “Having people know what happened—that’ll keep you safe.”
Her belly turned to ice at the thought of talking to her dad about J.D. She hadn’t even been able to tell her mom, and they’d been close once. But her dad? Even before he’d been hurt, they’d had a weird relationship—more for show than anything since he’d never been home much.
But ever since he’d lost half his leg, she and her mom had done whatever they could to make things easier for him without looking like they were. Or, at least, her mom used to do that until she’d cheated on him with J.D.’s father.
Maybe her mom had gotten tired of tiptoeing around Cole when all he did was bark back.
“I’ve got to go.” Dawson sprang to his feet, all athletic grace and impatience. Hazel stood with him, tail wagging hopefully. “I told Lorelei I forgot something at the pizza shop, and I don’t like lying to her. Will you be over this week?”
For a second she thought he was asking her out. Will you be over? But then she remembered her job babysitting Aiden at the Hastings’.
“I watch Aiden on Tuesday and Wednesday.” She wasn’t sure about the rest of the week. Standing, she tugged off Dawson’s hoodie and handed it back to him.
“Good. I’ll see you then.” He made no move to leave. He watched her like he might have more to say.
“Why would you want to?” The thought drifted from her brain right past her lips even though she didn’t want to know the answer. He was just being nice. “Actually, don’t answer that.”
A sad smile lifted one side of his mouth.
