My eyes flew open, and I turned my head to see him standing a few feet away from me. Glaring at me as if I were here to annoy him instead of the opposite. I was the one being annoyed. I glared back at him.
“If I w-w-want coffee or a p-p-pa-pastry, I will. Henley didn’t t-t-tell me I wasn’t welcome,” I shot back at him angrily.
Hadn’t he had us banned from enough places in town? Did he have to take away Cullen’s favorite new cupcake place too?
“Tory doesn’t need to work there. Henley needs good employees. Good people working for her. Not someone like your sister,” he said with a slight snarl of disgust.
If I wasn’t so mad about his interrupting my moment of peace, I might agree with him. Tory wasn’t the best employee, and I liked Henley too. She was very nice. But at the moment, I disliked Rio enough that I didn’t care about any of that.
“I don’t s-s-s-se-see how where T-T-T-Tory works is your b-business,” I replied.
His eyes flashed the hatred he felt for me, and a stupid lump formed in my throat at the sight of it. I wished I didn’t care. It would be easier if I could hate him too.
“I’ll make sure she doesn’t get the job. Don’t waste your time,” he warned.
I had no doubt he would do just that. The next time Cullen wanted a cupcake from there, I doubted I would be served. I would be turned away at the door, like the pizza place and candy shop. Sighing, I just nodded. My fight was gone. I didn’t want enemies here. I wanted to fit in and let Cullen grow up somewhere that accepted him. It was a constant struggle to give him everything his mother and I hadn’t had. There were days I felt like giving up and moving us once again. Possibly to Mobile, but then what about when men who frequented the club saw me out in town? I didn’t want to deal with that either. Cullen needed stability.
So, I didn’t respond to Rio’s threat. I believed him, and I knew he had that power. I nodded instead and fixed my gaze out on the water in front of me. I could almost pretend he wasn’t standing there and I was alone. Almost.
“It’s disappointing, you know,” he said then.
I didn’t look at him. I was afraid of what he would see in my eyes. “Wh-what is?” I asked.
“You,” he replied.
I winced, and my chest felt as if someone had slammed a heavy fist into it with one hard swing. Later, I would pride myself on standing there and not breaking down. I would be impressed with my strength and the way I’d handled it. Right now though, I wasn’t sure I could take my next breath. My throat was too tight, the pain inside too intense.
I knew the moment he walked away. I could feel him leave, and I was relieved he had said nothing more. I wasn’t sure I would have been able to stand here without crumpling if he had continued on. I had survived nightmares that most would never know, and I had come out stronger. I hadn’t let life take me down.
The boy I had once adored was gone. Once I got that through my head, I would be able to face Rio’s hatred and not feel anything. Until then, I would suffer. How could someone who had been through the depths of hell and come out on the other side still be affected by something as simple as words?
Rio March was my weakness, and I couldn’t afford a weakness in this life. Life wasn’t on my side. I had been fighting against it since birth.
Chapter Eleven
Rio
Pulling up beside Hazel’s red truck, I parked, pushed open my door, then reached over to grab the bag from Signed Sips and tray of coffees before getting out of my Jeep. I held up the items at the passenger window of Hazel’s truck.
“I brought gifts,” I said since the window was rolled down.
She leaned over and opened the door for me, so I could climb inside.
“Cup closest to you has some caramel shit you like, or so Henley said,” I told her.
She took the cup and leaned back in the seat with a sigh. I was worried about her. She had barely gone home for a good night’s sleep since Pops had been put in ICU. Gramma was the only visitor allowed in the waiting room. Thanks to Covid, we had to wait outside.
“Why don’t you go back to the house and get some sleep? You could also use a shower. I’ll stay here. I promise,” I told her.
She looked at the bag I had instead. “What’s in the bag?”
I handed it over to her, and she opened it, then pulled out a doughnut.