I peer over my shoulder slowly and unbothered because that’s the only speed I operate at.
She’s got the drink tray pressed against her hip and is staring at me as if she’s weighing whether it’s worth starting this conversation.
I toss the rag onto the table.
“If you’ve got something to fucking say, Aubrey, just say it.”
She exhales slowly before she shifts her weight and buys herself one more second.
I wait for the usual crap to come my way. That look, the one she has just for me, the one that falls somewhere between disgust and I knew it. The whole “you’re a terrible person, Jace” speech she gives.
“How’s Lola?”
That question throws me off guard for a second.
“She’s okay.” I keep my voice flat, giving her nothing to work with.
“And her dad?”
I drag my hand over the back of my neck, and my eyes drop to the table for a brief moment. “The same. Still hasn’t woken up.”
She nods, accepts that answer, and sits with it instead of dissecting it.
She turns her head toward the door when it opens, new customers coming in off the street, but Maggie’s already moving toward them.
“Jace,” she says, turning back to me.
“Yeah.”
She closes the gap between us and lowers her voice enough so it stays between me and her. Her eyes lock onto mine, and for the first time I’ve known her, there’s no hostility there.
“Please don’t hurt her.”
The protective edge in her voice is unmistakable, and I suddenly realize that this isn’t Aubrey confronting me. This is Aubrey asking me… For Lola.
“You really think that’s what I’m doing?” I hold her gaze.
She pauses, and I can see her carefully choosing her words before she speaks. “I think you’re Jace.”
“Say whatever the hell you want about me, Aubrey. But Bells is the only person in my life I never want to hurt. Ever.”
Something crosses her face, silent and swift.
“You actually care about her,” she says, as if she’s still processing the shock of it.
“Don’t.” I shake my head. “Don’t fucking do that.”
She almost smiles, just the edge of it, the closest thing to a white flag I’ve ever seen from her.
Some guy in the corner booth raises his hand as if he’s bidding at an auction. “Any chance of some more sodas over here?”
Aubrey exhales through her nose, the tray already sliding back onto her hip as she turns away. “Coming,” she calls.
And just like that, the moment breaks. I watch her go.
Chapter Fifteen
Lola
