She hugged him and kissed his weathered cheek. “I love you. I owe you more than I could ever repay.”
Wally shook his head. “It’s what friends do. No need to repay anything. Stay safe. And if you need anything, you know who to call.”
“Yes, I do.”
She approached Ms. Miller, who waited patiently off to the side. Paige didn’t speak as she hugged the older woman lightly.
“Thank you for taking me in.”
Birdie lifted her shoulder nonchalantly. “It worked out well. We needed each other. Listen, I’m not one for teary goodbyes, so let’s skip that part, all right?”
“Deal. See you around, Ms. Miller. You take care of yourself.”
“Don’t you think it’s about time to call me Birdie? And I’m not the one in trouble. You’re the one who needs to watch her back.”
Paige tilted her head to study Birdie thoughtfully. “How much have you figured out?”
“Enough to know that boy you’ve hooked up with…He’s a good egg, as they used to say. He can help, so let him.”
“How can you know that? I barely know him. And I don’t think you know whathooked upmeans.”
Birdie smirked. “You’d be surprised at what I know. Go, sweet girl. Take care of your business, and when it’s safe, you come back, and we’ll talk about everything. Sound good?”
“It’s a plan.”
A few more hugs and waves were exchanged before Ben and Paige drove away.
“You okay?” he asked her.
“No, but I will be. It’s just…they’re my friends. They were there for me when I felt alone and lost. They knew I was hiding something, but they never asked me to talk about it if I didn’t want to. I always thought of this town as my refuge, but it was them. They were my safe haven. I didn’t realize it until now.”
Ben reached across and grasped her hand, bringing it to rest on his thigh. “You’ll be back. You’ll see them again. I promise.”
Paige tore her gaze away from the passing scenery and stared at his profile. “You like making promises, don’t you?”
“Only when I can follow through.” He winked at her before turning his attention back to the road.
He kept her hand on his thigh as he drove, and she settled against the seat. Their conversation lulled, so she set his satellite radio to play music. Soon, the stress of the last few days, coupled with the familiar songs, soothed her enough to fall asleep.
∞∞∞
Ben opened the door to his house and motioned for her tostep inside. The dark interior soon flooded with light. Paige glanced around, studying the space for insight into the man at her back. Ben secured the door and stepped around her.
She thought his expression was anxious, as if he was concerned with her opinion of his home. He needn’t have worried. It was what she’d come to expect of the man himself — comforting, safe, no-nonsense. With a woman’s touch, it would be perfect.
Paige tucked the thought away, unsure where it came from.
Ben looked around his place as if picturing it through her eyes. “It’s not much, but it works for me. Make yourself at home. I’ll just put your bag in the guest room down the hall, and then I’ll fix us something for dinner.”
An unusual trill came from somewhere in the house, and her face scrunched in bewilderment as she tried to figure out where it came from. She heard it again a moment before a furry beast came running into the living room. It skidded to a stop, and through the tufts of hair, golden eyes peered at her.
“That’s Ziggy,” Ben explained. “Don’t mind him. He’s not used to company, but he’ll adjust. I’ll be right back.”
He rounded the corner, and she heard his boots thudding against the floor as he moved down the hall. Ziggy stared at her a moment more before racing after Ben, its distinctive trill echoing through the quiet house. Puffs of gray fur hung in the air before wafting down to the floor.
Being in Ben’s house left her disconcerted. Taking a page out of his book, she wandered over to a few framed photos he had on the wall. The frames were made of black wood, the photos nothing more than snapshots. One was of four young boys, andshe instantly picked Ben out. He was smaller than the others and obviously a bit younger. Their clothes were mismatched and covered in filth. Mud streaked their cheeks, but their shit-eating grins split their faces. Their arms draped over each other’s shoulders. Ben and his brothers. She was sure of it.
Another picture was of an adult Ben dressed in fatigues and standing with a man she recognized as his guardian, English Barlowe. The shot was overexposed, so the background was too bright for her to recognize where the photo was taken.
