We weren’t nearly as close as we used to be, but they were still the only parents I would ever have. I didn’t want to take them for granted, and I didn’t want to avoid them for the rest of my life. But every time I considered facing them and having a mature, reasonable conversation about what happened in school that day, I wanted to throw up instead.
I sensed the people around us looking at me, and I could only guess what they thought and whispered to each other. And God, I couldn’t get over that angry, disappointed look on my father’s face the whole time he talked to me. He’d acted like he would have been happier if I hadn’t shown up at all.
Whatever.
If he didn’t want to see me, I didn’t have to be there.
I heaved my final sandbag onto the pile with the others, and instead of turning around to get another one, I turned and walked toward Cooper’s truck. My hurt feelings started welling up inside me.
“Poppy?” Nolan called after me. “Where are you going? Are you okay?”
I didn’t trust my voice to answer, so I kept walking and pretended that I didn’t hear him. Of course, the truck door was locked when I got there, so I stood in front of the door like a miserable, blubbering idiot.
“Sorry,” I whispered when Nolan caught up to me. “I just... couldn’t.”
Couldn’t deal with my dad. Couldn’t explain why. Couldn’t come clean about the truth.
I.
Just.
Couldn’t.
“Hey, it’s okay,” he said as he pulled me close and put his arms around me. “It’s gonna be okay, Poppy. We don’t have to stay here if you don’t want to.”
“Shall we go?” Cooper said from behind us as he walked to the driver’s side of the truck.
There was something in his tone, though. Something cold and harsh that made me look up from Nolan’s shoulder where I’d very nearly been crying. And when I looked over, Cooper wasn’t looking back at me.
“Yeah,” Nolan said quietly. “I guess we probably should get away from here.”
Now his tone sounded weird, too. Like he was holding something back or... or something.
If it had been anyone else in the world besides those two guys, I probably would’ve second-guessed myself or thought I was overreacting. But not with Cooper and Nolan. I knew them way too well—everything about them.
And I knew they were both avoiding something—avoiding me—in their own separate ways.
“We should go,” I agreed as I pulled away from Nolan. “But not yet. I looked over at Cooper and then back to Nolan. “Not until you both tell me what’s going on.”
Chapter Fourteen
Cooper Price
Dammit.
This wasn’t how today was supposed to end. We’d had a good time, falling back into those same old patterns. Easy and carefree without a single worry about what tomorrow might bring.
And, yeah, we were getting a little old for those carefree moments, but damn, it was still fucking great.
Real nice.
Too nice.
Which made Mr. Evans’ outburst more hurtful than it should have.
If it had been anyone else, I’d have knocked him on his ass. But if it had been anyone else, I wouldn’t have given a fuck about what they thought or said. However, it hadn’t been just any old guy from off the street. It had been Poppy’s father; his opinion did matter. It mattered to Poppy, so it mattered to me and Nolan, too.
It was probably for the best that I couldn’t quite make out everything he’d said, but I’d heard enough to get a pretty damn good picture. And the looks he’d been throwing in my direction hadn’t left any room for doubt.
He hated Nolan and me, and he didn’t care who knew. Didn’t care that he’d made a whole spectacle out there in front of half the damn town.
“So, will you tell me what’s going on?” Poppy’s voice was quiet but direct as we all got back into my truck.
I looked out my window.
Her dad was still working, still stubbornly refusing even to cast a glance this way. “I don’t think this is a good time to talk about it.”
“But there is something wrong, then.” She sat back in her seat and sighed. “I’m sorry if you heard what my dad said. He... he’s been like that ever since the cheating thing happened.”
Nolan exhaled loudly. “It’s no wonder you don’t come back to visit very often if that’s the case.”
I couldn’t disagree with him there. Why would anyone willingly sign up for that kind of treatment? Which also helped to explain why she’d wanted to spend so much time with us.
But that fact only served to piss me off all over again. I didn’t want to be her excuse for staying away from home. Fuck that. I wanted her to be with us because she wanted to, not because we were simply better than the alternative.