I looked hesitantly over my shoulder, I didn’t want to lie to her, but I couldn’t tell her the truth.
“I let her know,” Lincoln said in a clipped tone. “I’m hopping in the shower, then I have to go meet my agent. You girls have fun.”
“What got up his butt?” Anna asked as he retreated. She dropped some bags onto the counter and then zipped over to the coffee maker.
I pulled out my cell phone and texted Remy and Jace.
Blake: He doesn’t believe me. Hanging out with Anna for a little bit and I’ll ask her to take me back to the hotel. He knew we were in the RV. Threatening to call the cops if we don’t move it.
Jace: Leaving now. Let us know when you’re on the way back to the hotel.
Blake: Please keep me updated on Jax and Drake.
Jace: Will do. Jax was just released, and they said all of his tests came back fine. He’s getting breakfast with Troy right now and says he feels fine.
Blake: Thanks. Love you.
Jace: Love you more.
>
“He always seems testy around me,” I said hesitantly when I realized she actually expected an answer.
“He’s all bark no bite,” she said with confidence as she started to pull out some groceries from her bags. “Do you drink coffee?”
I nodded, thinking about the few sips I had this morning. “I do. How long have you guys known each other?” I asked as I sat back down at one of the stools.
“Since I first got introduced to the scene,” she told me as she began making the coffee. “I outfitted one of his girlfriends, and it kind of took off from there. He brought me a lot of clients in the beginning.” She waved her hand at the counter. “Here, I brought some stuff to make breakfast, but I can’t cook.” She smiled ruefully, emptying the grocery bags.
I stood up, wanting to get my hands busy—I needed a distraction from the tailspin it was in. “What did you have in mind?” I asked as I looked at the vegetables, bacon, eggs, cheese, and sausage she pulled out.
She shrugged with a laugh. “Food. I’m not picky.”
“What were you going to do with all of this if you weren’t going to cook it? Hmm.. how do omelets sound?” I asked.
She eagerly nodded. “Can you make a western omelet with extra mushrooms, sausage, and bacon?” Then she shrugged. “I don’t know. I was hoping it was Maria’s day.” At my raised brow she hastily explained. “Maria is Lincoln’s cook slash maid slash friend. She comes two or three days a week and cooks him food that stores well. Then he heats it when he’s ready to eat.”
I laughed. “Sure, I can make a western omelet. He seems to have a lot of…friends.” I said dryly.
She giggled. “He does, but Maria is just the platonic variety like me, though. Maria is old enough to be his mother, and like I said he friend zoned me. I’m glad someone could cook around here. Ma tried to teach me, but you know me.”
She promptly sat back down and pulled out a sketchpad with a pencil. “I have trouble focusing on things that don’t interest me. The doctors wanted to put me on medication when I got with Ma and Pa, but Ma is sort of a hippy. She didn’t believe that society should be so eager to pump children full of drugs. I had no interest in little else but drawing. She said if I passed school and made a true attempt at studying, she wouldn’t punish me or fill me full of drugs. When I got good grades, she gave me more art supplies.”
“They sound like great people, your Ma and Pa,” I said as I rifled through Lincoln’s cabinets. I felt weird for doing it, but Anna was his guest, and besides, he hadn’t kicked me out.
I was surprised to see that he had a vast array of kitchen gadgets. Gathering what I needed, I got right into browning sausage and rinsing vegetables.
“They were. They were a Godsend after dealing with the bios,” she stated as she drew in her sketchpad. “What about you? Who finally saved you from hell?”
I contemplated telling her the truth for a moment. “My music teacher, and later his friends and father,” I answered truthfully.
“Where’s your sister?” she asked. “You said you couldn’t leave without her.”
Even though her questions were invasive, it didn’t feel intrusive. I even felt a little bit of kinship with her. “My stepmother tried to sell her, and Pops was able to intervene and got her before she went to parts unknown. He knows a judge that was able to put her in Pop’s temporary custody until I reached eighteen. She’s now with me, us.”
Anna gasped. “How old is she?”
I smiled as I pulled out my phone. I scrolled until I found the picture of Ella, Alex, Micah, and Kade. “She’s the little blonde, she’s seven.” I turned the phone towards her. “Those are my other siblings.”