Chapter Seven
Theo
Helen had grown up in a shithole.Even though she hadn’t allowed me to follow her and her little sister to their trailer, the second I pulled into the gravel parking lot, I came to that conclusion. As I waited for Helen to come back, I got out of my loaner car and wandered down the path that wound between trailers.
Rust. Trash. Broken windows. Hanging doors.
There were decent, even nice, trailer parks, and then there was The Palisades. It was so far from being nice or decent, those words didn’t exist in the same universe.
Once they unloaded their groceries in the trailer, I drove Hells and Luc to an apartment complex a few minutes away. I waited again while Helen walked her sister up to her friend’s apartment to hang out for the afternoon.
Ten minutes later, Helen reappeared, stopping in front of where I leaned against the car.
“Good deed done for the day. Let me get my board out of your trunk and you can go on your way.”
I tipped my head to the side. “Get in the car, Helen.”
“Give me my board, Theodore.”
“Nope.” Striking fast, I circled my arms under her ass, lifting her off the ground. She squealed and kicked, but not hard enough for me to believe she meant it. “I’m driving you to campus like a fucking gentleman.”
“Like a fucking psycho.”
I tossed her in the passenger seat and leaned over her to strap her in. Little pants escaped her parted lips, hitting my ear. I turned my head, bringing our noses an inch apart.
Jesus, she was pretty. There was not a spot of blemish on her masterpiece of a face. Her lips were as red as they’d been when she’d sat down for breakfast, leading me to believe there was witchcraft in her lipstick. All I could think about was how much effort it would take to make it disappear. And how enjoyable it would be finding out.
I pinched her chin between two fingers. “Stay here, Tiger.”
She swatted my hand away, and I laughed and locked her inside the car while I rounded it to the driver’s side. As I slid into my seat and hit the ignition, it hit me that I was always laughing with this girl. After an unbelievably shitty few months, it was a relief to know I still had it in me.
I turned to her. “Do you need to stop anywhere else before we hit campus?”
“No.” Her focus was anywhere but me. “Straight back to the dorm is good.”
“All right.” Nodding to the apartment building, I asked, “Think she’s good here?”
Her head twisted my way. “Yeah. I’ve met her friend and the family a few times. They’re solid. They let her hang out as much as she wants, which is a lot.”
“Is she going to be okay when she goes home?”
Helen’s breath hitched. “My mother knows the consequences if anything happens to Luc. She’s neglectful, but she won’t hurt her.”
“I could’ve used a sister like you growing up.”
“Me too,” she murmured, her head falling back on her seat. “Can we go? I need a nap.”
“Yeah.” I threw her a glance as I pulled out of the lot. “Late night?”
“Mmm.”
That was it. Stonewall Helen was back in full force, arms crossed over her chest, jaw set. So far, I’d seen her soft twice. The first, when she’d relaxed in my lap in the library. The second was with her sister. After seeing where she grew up, I got it. I carried the same hardness in me. It had taken me a solid year of living with my father and stepmom to let my guard down and feel physically safe. Helen wasn’t there. The part of me that loved to rise to a challenge really wanted to get her there.
But shit, I was no white knight. My head was barely above water as it was. I couldn’t carry her too. If I tried, she’d probably shove me under anyway.
Taking the long route, I cruised down Main Street, passing Savage Wheelz. “Last year, whenever I was down here, I peeked in the windows. Never saw you inside.”
I shouldn’t have been looking at all, not when I’d had Abby, but that one encounter with Helen had left me curious. I wasstillcurious.