“You were never family,chica. You were just a placeholder.”
Rodrigo’s nasty tone bit deeper than Sabrina was ready to hear. “Dad never felt that way, and you know it.” She scoffed. “That’s why you’re being such a dick to me. It’s ’cause Dad loved me no matter what, and you’ve always been jealous of that.”
“Don’t you talk about him like he was yourrealfather! All you need to do is sign these papers and get the fuck out of my life.”
“I already stated your options,brother. Ball’s in your court now. Goodbye!”
Sabrina swiped the screen and resisted the urge to throw the device against the tile wall. Half a second later, she wiped angry tears from her eyes. “I can’t believe I care enough to cry over this shit. Dad, why did you have to die?”
The walls had no answers.
Ernie was gone. Her family had abandoned her. She was in a strange city that didn’t want her, with no real support from anyone, not even her work colleagues. She told herself it didn’t matter and she could handle it.
It’s rough when you can no longer believe your own lies.
Loneliness hit her hard. The tears kept falling, and no matter how many happy thoughts she tried to drum up, they didn’t stop. She needed a shoulder, a hug, or just to hear the voice of another human who didn’t hate her.
With trembling hands, she called the only person she trusted in Pittsburgh.
Cam parkedhis bike next to the van in the dark alley. The back door to the massage business was all but invisible in the dim light, the bulb over the opening doing nothing to dispel any shadows. Some light came from the van, but it was also limited by the curtains drawn over the window. If they were off, the van would disappear from sight. He had to admit, the likelihood of anyone coming back here to mess with his girl was low, given the visibility and isolation. Even so, he still despised the thought of her being here, alone and vulnerable.
He’d just finished eating at Quillon’s place when he got the call from Sabrina. The tears were obvious in her voice, even though she was trying to hide them.
“Hi, Cam. Um… what are you doing tonight?”
“Having supper with my friends, then going home.”
“Oh, okay. I was just thinking, maybe….”
Cam shifted the phone to his other ear as Quillon glanced at him with questioning eyes. “You okay, Sabrina?”
“Oh yeah, I’m just fine, sugar. I was just thinking, if you weren’t busy….”
“You in your van?”
“Yes.”
He didn’t have to think about it. “I’m on my way.”
Cam considered knocking or texting to tell her he was outside her door, but she must have noticed his arrival. The door slid open, and she waved him in with a smile. Her leggings were patterned in elephants, and her black tunic hung long and loose.
“Hey, sugar. You didn’t have to come out here. I could have met you someplace for a drink or something.”
“Supposed to rain soon. No one likes riding while you’re getting pelted with water bullets.”
She made a face. “Do you want to put your bike in the trailer just in case? It’ll be a tight fit, but we can manage.”
He wanted so badly to say,“That’s what she said,”but he stopped himself. The mood wasn’t right for joking. “Sure, thanks.” He handed her a paper grocery bag. “Tracie sent this over. She thought you might not have eaten yet.”
“What is it?”
“Sausage and pierogies.”
She blinked. “Sausage is familiar and comes in several forms, but I’ve never heard of proggies.”
“Pierogies. Potato dumplings. Tracie makes great ones, but not quite traditional. She sneaks bacon crumbles into hers.”
Sabrina eyed the bag. “They sound interesting.”
