So, I stayed silent.
She sighed and ran her hand through her hair. “Right. I get it. We can’t promise each other anything, but this isn’t about me and you. I have plans tonight and—”
“If you think you’re leaving to go do something without me while I’m here visiting you, you’re mistaken, Whitfield.”
She glared at me. “I was going to give you the choice of coming with me or staying here while I took Rome’s truck to go—”
“We’ll take my car.”
She looked out the window. “You have a car here?”
“I store one at Jay’s. I’ll have my drivers bring it over.”
“We can just take Rome’s—”
If I had to hear that guy’s name again. “I’ll drive.”
“You don’t know where we’re going.”
“So, tell me.”
She looked down at her hands that were folded tightly together. “I visit this house out near the reservation sometimes. I’m sure you know. Jay’s gone with me before, and he’s probably mentioned it.”
I nodded, a little dazed from the impact of her actually confiding in me about it all. I’d miscalculated her again.
I expected her to keep her visits tucked away quietly in a box of secrets from me for much longer.
“It’s just …” She cleared her throat before continuing. “The kids there can handle just about anything. Okay? But they can’t handle having a celebrity come in and make empty promises or anything like that. If you come with me, you have to remember that. And ... just ... they mean a lot to me.”
“I get it.”
“They should mean a lot to everyone, really. They’re kids. Kids are the next generation, and they have so much to offer. They just haven’t been given a chance. And plus, they’re still growing ...” she rambled.
I nodded and squeezed her waist to get her attention. “I get it, Peaches.”
“You don’t. Not many do, but I’m going to try to show you.”
We fell into a tense silence after that while she got ready to go. I wondered how the hell I was going to get through the next few hours. I liked kids, but I didn’t know how to act around them.
Aubrey eyed my car when we made our way to her parking lot. “A little much?”
I scoffed. “You grew up with nice cars.”
She pursed her lips. Then said, “This is an Aston Martin, right?”
I nodded and smiled as I opened the door for her. “Let’s go.”
She might have wanted to act like the car wasn’t impressive but an Aston Martin Rapide impressed just about everyone. I saw her drag her hand on the leather before she sat down and her gaze lingered on the sleek black lines of the metal.
Our drive there passed faster than I could have imagined once Aubrey’s admiration for my car faded. She had more important things to discuss, like briefing me on every child. She also went through a list of rules she said were crucial to a successful visit.
As we drove up to the house, a squad car’s lights spun round and round. Aubrey barely waited for my car to pull to a stop before she muttered, “What the hell?” and jumped out.
I followed her into the house where I noted about a half a dozen children huddled in the living room, sitting on shabby furniture. They looked nervous and alert, not watching the TV that blared in the room. Instead, they listened as closely as they could to what the policeman was saying to Aubrey and the older woman wringing her hands in front of him.
“I’m confused. She specifically said she would be here two hours ago. You don’t want to send out a search party and you haven’t tried to go to her mother’s?” Aubrey’s voice shook as she questioned him.
The older woman glared at me as I walked up. “You’re exactly right, Brey. Seems this policeman here doesn’t want to do his job. I tried to call you before. It isn’t a good day for Mr. Fancy Pants, here.”