“Did he threaten you?”
Panic took hold. “Oh, God, Beckett. I have to move out. He said he’d set fire to the house. He knows you moved in, and he said I’m whoring myself out.”
I tried to get to my feet, but my legs wouldn’t hold me, and I crumpled to the floor again.
“Just stay there for a minute. I want you to take some deep breaths, and I’m going to get you some juice.”
I ran through every possibility of where I could go. Maybe Everly’s sister would let me stay with her in Seattle. I could offer to be their nanny in exchange for room and board. Only the last place I wanted to live was in the city. I craved the quiet and wide-open spaces. And my father didn’t get to run me out of town. He didn’t get to win.
Beckett appeared in front of me again. He guided my hand around a glass of orange juice. “Take small sips.”
I nodded and obeyed. The juice tasted overly sweet, but as I sipped it, the worst of the shakes subsided.
Beckett leaned against the wall. He left plenty of space between us, yet I knew I wasn’t by myself. For the first time, it was a comfort not to be alone.
“We need to call Hayes.”
My hand jerked, sending a little of the juice sloshing over the edge of the glass. “Please, don’t.”
“Addie. Your father basically threatened to kill you. Hayes needs to know.”
“He’s already done so much for me. I don’t want him to get mixed up with my family again. It’ll only bring trouble.” An image burst to life in my mind, the rage that had flashed across my father’s face as he spat the Eastons’ name. He hated them. The reasons had piled up in his mind, and nothing would appease him. He would always be just a breath away from doing something that could end in devastation.
“It’s his job. Hayes knows how to handle himself.”
I set the glass on the floor. I linked my fingers over and around each other, braiding them together, then backtracking and starting all over again. “Can we wait a little bit? My dad is a lot of talk. If I have another run-in, we can tell Hayes.”
Beckett’s jaw clenched, but he nodded slowly. “You have to promise me that you’ll tell me if anything else happens.”
“I promise.”
I could only pray that my father would miraculously forget I even existed.
6
BECKETT
I glanced across the table at Addie. She held herself in such a formal way, spine straight and shoulders back. Her attire, while not odd, wasn’t exactly something I saw twenty-somethings wearing, either. Today, she wore jeans and a floral blouse, but the clothes were at least a size too big, hanging loosely on her slender form. I realized that I’d never even seen her show her shoulders or her knees.
I dipped my spoon into my cereal. “What’s on your agenda for today?”
Addie dipped her piece of toast into her egg. “I’m babysitting Birdie and Sage this afternoon, but I need to stop by the library to return a couple of books first.”
I hated the idea of Addie walking around town by herself, knowing what had happened yesterday. But every time I opened my mouth to suggest that she stay home, I thought of Hayes’ words about how so many of Addie’s choices had been taken from her. “Why don’t you put my cell and the number for the clinic into your phone. You can call me if you run into any issues.” I’d tell Dolores that a call from Addie meant she should interrupt me, no matter what I was doing.
Addie twirled the piece of toast between her fingers. “I don’t have a cell phone.”
My fingers tightened around my spoon. “I probably have an old one you can borrow.”
“Thank you, but I don’t need one.”
Her tone was laced with stubborn pride. I oscillated between respecting the hell out of it and being angry at how stupid she was being. I took a sip of coffee as I chose my next words carefully. “How about I give you the phone, and you only use it in an emergency? It won’t cost me any extra. I never use all my minutes each month.” It was only a bit of a lie. It’d probably cost something to set up a second line, but it wouldn’t be much.
Addie was silent for a moment, and I hurried to continue. “Given what happened yesterday, it would make me feel a lot more comfortable. Plus, if you’re taking care of Birdie and Sage, it’s probably smart.”
Addie looked up from her breakfast. “I’ll pay whatever it costs to set it up. I know it has to cost something.”
I winced and rubbed the back of my neck. “Deal. I’ll call the company on my break.”