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“Seriously, Pops? I’ve been driving your ass around for ten years and you get a wild hair to buy a car today?”
He frowned at me. “Mona, love. Will you give me a moment alone with Dec?”
“Of course,” she murmured, kissing the top of his head and wandering back to the sidewalk.
I folded my arms across my chest. Why was everything so goddamn out of control today? Pops stood up and I reached for him, making sure he was steady on his feet before letting go. He nodded his thanks, some color returning to his features.
“I’ve been doing some thinking.” He sighed. “You and me, Dec. We’ve been running scared for a full decade. Don’t you think it’s time we quit?”
We stared at each other for a long moment before I shook my head. “What are you talking about?”
“Come on. I know you see it too. That accident shook both of us up. We moved here and all we’ve been doing is hiding. We aren’t living anymore, Dec. Living in fear isn’t living at all. Tragedy will always happen, that much I’ve learned, but what’s the point of living your whole life in the shadows just to try to avoid it? I’m afraid I’ve been steering you wrong. Your mother would tan my hide for letting you carry on like this so long.”
“Pops.” I reached for him but he puffed up his chest and stared me down. My hand dropped to my side. “What are you saying?”
“I’ve been hiding out here with you, letting you take care of everything for me. That’s on me. But things have changed. Have you noticed I don’t call you every day like I used to?”
It was true. I thought it was because he was distracted by Mona, but the phone calls had dissipated even before she got here.
“I’m learning to live on my own, without you being my crutch. And you know I love you more than anything, son, but you can’t use me as a crutch any longer either. Go truly live. Grab life or love or whatever lights you up inside for all it’s worth. Quit hiding, Declan.”
And then, the man who’d raised me by himself and been my best friend through adulthood, walked away from me. He limped his way over to Mona, threw his arm over her shoulders and started cracking jokes with the police officer like he hadn’t just punched me in the face with words of wisdom I didn’t want.
The paramedics pulled away from the scene, leaving me standing in the middle of the street by myself. Looking left and right, completely discombobulated and lost, I started walking.
It was a long walk back to my house on foot. By the time I got there, I was soaked in sweat and only slightly more clearheaded. Pops might have taken the hit to the skull, but I was the one with the headache. Marching inside, I went straight to my bedroom. There, in the top drawer with all my socks, was the flat round charm I’d kept for ten years, even after it had fallen off of the black cord around my neck. I gazed at it, tracing my thumb over the design etched into the metal. Then I wrapped it in my fist and headed for Kenna’s house.
My knuckles rapped against the door, a harsh sound when all I’d heard for the last hour were my own footsteps and the slow inhale and exhale of my breath. She didn’t answer, so I knocked again. Her Jeep was in the driveway, but maybe she’d had Char or Laurie pick her up. Wouldn’t surprise me if she left the house just to get away from me.
I crouched down, looking at the charm one last time before laying it on the porch and pushing it under her front door. Liz had said Kenna’s bad luck had started when she lost that charm. I may not be able to offer any explanation for my past that would satisfy the wrong I’d done in not sharing it before, but I could give her this. She deserved to have the family heirloom back. I’d kept it as safe as I knew how, but it wasn’t mine to keep any longer.
Just like she wasn’t mine to keep any longer either.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Kenna
I laid my forehead against the cool wood door, listening for any sound of Dec out on my porch. I’d heard the knocking, even crept downstairs just to be closer to him, though I had zero intentions of actually opening the door. I was angry. Hurt. Confused about my feelings. The amount of overwhelm I’d felt in the bathtub told me I needed time to process everything. I hadn’t fully let go of my past before I jumped right into this life in Sunshine Key.
But then there was a scraping noise at the bottom of the door and I looked down to see the edge of something silver on my floor. I crouched down and bit my lip to keep from crying out.
It was my good luck charm.
The one I’d intended to give Debogglan all those years ago. The one I thought I’d lost in the hustle of backstage. I slid it out from under the door and rubbed my thumb over it, memories rushing in. It was still warm from Dec’s palm. I closed my eyes and just breathed. Everything hurt and I was so torn and confused I didn’t know what to do.
“I’m sorry, Kenna.” Dec’s gravelly voice came through the door, mere inches away. “But I’m not sorry I fell in love with you.”
A whimper was my only response. Clutching the charm to my chest, I stood up and put my hand on the doorknob. Could I see him again so soon and listen to what he had to say? Would he finally tell me the truth? And would that be enough to forgive him? Was I being an idiot for trusting a man so soon after being proven yet again that they frequently lie like a rug?
My ears strained to discern if he’d left the porch. When I heard the scuffle of what sounded like a shoe, I turned the knob and swung the door open, heart pounding.
Dec’s head whipped up and the sadness I saw in his eyes nearly made my knees buckle. At least in that we were on the same page. I leaned against the doorjamb, conscious of the fact I wore nothing but a ratty old T-shirt and those tourist shorts Dec hated so much. His hands dropped to his side and he shifted on his boots, looking uncomfortable. I wanted to reach for him and hold him, followed by slapping his oh-so-gorgeous face for keeping secrets from me even after confessing he loved me.
“Can I explain?”
I folded my arms across my chest to keep from doing either of those options. “Oh, now you trust me with your truth?” My voice was accusatory, but held the slightest of wobbles. I’d never stood up to Justin and I didn’t intend to let a man run right over me again. Confrontation, despite my crazed scene at work that day, made me nervous.
“That’s fair. I deserve that.” Dec dipped his head, then raised his gaze to pin me with those deep brown eyes. There were lines at the corners that hadn’t been there when he was a famous country singer. His hair was longer and the tan was deeper. I could see how he’d let go of the polished image, but was even more handsome for it. “I just didn’t expect for all this to happen. To fall for you, Kenna.”
