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She doesn’t say anything for a while, digesting what I told her. Finally she turns toward me. “You take care of him.”
“Yes.”
I can feel her looking at me. Trying to figure me out. Why I would care about a useless drunk like Jack O’Connell. A man I’ve pretty much despised since I was a kid. “Did Ryan ask you to do that too?”
“No.”
“Then why?” She turns toward me, her brow crumpled slightly. “Why would you do something like that?”
Entering a residential neighborhood, I slow down. Keep an eye out for kids. “Because you’d have wanted me to.”
She goes quiet again and I let her. Tell the truth, I don’t want to talk about her dad anymore and I sure as hell don’t want to listen to her talk to me in that Stepford Wife tone she uses when she’s feeling out of her depth.
When I pull the car to a stop, she looks out the window, her mouth falling open slightly when she realizes where we are. “What are we doing here?” She gives my parent’s house a long look. “We can’t just drop by, unannounced.” She says it like I’ve committed some sort of mortal sin. “It’s rude.”
“Is it? I’m going to have to start keeping a list.” I kill the engine and get out of the car, circling the front to open her door. “Come on, Henley.” I hold out my hand and wiggle my fingers at her, urging her to take it. “I won’t tell Miss Manners if you won’t.”
She stares up at me, hands clasped together in her lap, so tight I’m afraid her fingers are going to snap off. “Why?”
Because you need your family right now.
I want to say it, but I don’t think she’s in a place to hear it right now, so I shrug and flash her my dimples. “Because I’m hungry and I’m broke.” It’s the truth. I gave Jack every dollar I had. “Come on. We’ll say hello to my parents and then we’ll going to go out back and throw a baseball around until dinner is ready and then we’ll eat.” I keep my smile easy. Friendly. Wait for her to come to me, the way I used to. Wait for her to settle. “After that, I’ll take you home.”
Her fingers loosen but she doesn’t take my hand. “Are you sure your mom won’t mind?”
Mind? She’ll be over the fucking moon to have someone over for weekday dinner. “I’m sure.”
She takes my hand and lets me pull her from the car. “I’m still mad at you for not telling me.”
“I know.” I lean past her to shut her car door. When I straighten, she’s standing on the curb beside me.
“Thank you.” I look up to find her close. Too close for me to think straight. I could kiss her if I wanted to. Lean in and press my mouth against hers. I want to. Jesus Christ, I want to.
But I can’t.
Instead, I clear my throat. “What are friends for?” I say, giving her hand a squeeze before letting it go.