“What did you mean about me having a big family?” It’s the first words she’s said to me since she’s come back from seeing Maggie. The whole way through dinner, which I didn’t burn, she was silent. She kept glancing at me, and whenever I’d peek over at her, she’d turn away.
Her fingers stroke her arm. “Stop it, you don’t need to be nervous around me. You can ask me whatever it is you want but don’t do that, not with me.” It comes out harshly, and she quickly moves her hands and shoves them behind her. The color drains from her face as she bites down on her bottom lip. “I’m sorry.” I say immediately, my words have hurt her.
She shakes her head. “No, you’re right. I shouldn’t be afraid of what you’re about to say. You’ll never hurt me and that includes the words you say.” She stands from the sofa, and I’m shocked when she comes over to sit on my lap.
My arms automatically engulf her, protecting her as I understand how hard this is for her. “Michelle….”
“I’ve wanted to do this since that very first day. Trent Lawrence, you are something special. You’ve cast this spell over me, one that I hope never fades. I finally see the world, I finally understand what love is, and it’s all due to you.”
Did she just? “Baby…” I smile. God, hearing those words is something I never thought she’d say. My girl is a fighter, she’s been to hell and back. She fought to be where she is now, able to love.
“You’re fucking perfect!” I tell her.
That nervous laugh of hers slips out, the one she always gives whenever I compliment her.
“It’s true, Michelle, you are awe-inspiring, and I’m not the only one who thinks that. The reason I said you have a big family is because you do. Ethel, Agnes, Maggie, Bryson, and Heller. Each one of them love you and would do anything for you. Just as you would for them.”
She curls up against me, her arms around my neck as she lays her head on my shoulder. “I guess, they’ve all been in my life for a long time.”
“Family,” I say smirking, she’s finally seeing it, finally seeing that she’s not alone, and she never will be.
“They’re yours too,” she fires back, and I laugh. She always tries to include me. “Are you going to see Tina tomorrow?” She changes the subject, and I let her. It’s best not push her too much, she’s already come so far.
“Yes, I need to see that she’s okay. I’m tempted to take a ride and check on her tonight but I believe she wouldn’t appreciate that.” It’s only six in the evening, and by the time I’d get to her house it would be about seven. It wouldn’t be late but if she’s still with him, it would mean that he’d be in the house, and I can’t deal with him. I’d probably knock him the fuck out, especially if I see a bruise or mark on Tina.
“What if she doesn’t live there anymore? What happens then?”
“I’ve thought about that. If she’s not there, I’d have to go to my parents.” That’s something I hope never happens, as much as I want to make amends with Tina and make sure she’s okay. My parents on the other hand are a completely different story.
She climbs off my lap and walks toward her bedroom. A frown tugs at my forehead. What the hell is she doing? She returns moments later with her laptop in her hands.
“I should have thought about this earlier. We should search for her and see what her profile says.” Her voice has raised an octave with her excitement; her smile is wide and bright. Whatever the hell she’s about to do has made her happy, and I’m not going to stop her.
“Profile?” I ask, feeling stupid.
Her eyes widen with I’m not sure if it’s shock or disgust. “Trent, you were locked up for five years, not a century. I’m talking about her Facebook profile.”
Umm, yeah that’s not helping. “I know what Facebook is. I doubt she’ll have a profile.”
This time it’s disgust that’s written on her face. “Everyone has a profile.” She loads up her Facebook. “What’s her name?”
“Tina Lemount.” Saying her surname makes me angry, she should have never got married to the asshole in the first place, I never liked him, and she only did it to get back at Mom and Dad for grounding her and forbidding her from seeing him. Like any seventeen year old, she took it as a challenge and married the prick.
She moves the laptop so that we both can see it and types in Tina’s name. I glance through the pictures and yet none remind me of Tina. She can’t have changed that much.
“How about we try her maiden name?” She types in her name again, this time with Lawrence instead of Lemount, and there, the very top name is Tina. Michelle didn’t even have to wait for me. She clicks into the profile, and there’s my sister’s face smiling back at me. I can’t stop staring at her; she seems happy, healthy even. When I was sent down, she appeared gaunt and had lost a hell of a lot of weight. Weight she couldn’t afford to lose.
“Hmmm.” Michelle’s voice pulls me away from gazing at Tina. “It says here that she’s single, and by her last check-in, which was three hours ago, she’s here in Bar Harbor.”
“Fuck.” I’m speechless. So she’s not with that asshole. Good.
“She works at the diner in town.” Michelle’s smile is full of happiness. She wants me to meet up with Tina and reconnect. “We’ll go there for lunch tomorrow and see if she’s working. Maybe you can say hi if she is and test the waters?” So, fucking optimistic.
“Yeah,” My stomach flips, fuck, what if she still hates me?
Driving toward the town, Trent’s knees are bouncing. He’s afraid to face her. He won’t admit it, but I can tell he is. Besides the fact he’s fidgeting like crazy, he’s not spoken a word since he got into the car. I’ve asked him a question twice, and both times I’ve been ignored. I’ve never seen him so nervous or distant. Even when he gets mad he at least acknowledges me. I wish there was some way I could help, but I doubt anything will calm him.
I woke up at seven this morning which is later than I have done in years, and by the time I had gotten ready for my run, Trent was coming back from his. As we passed each other, he leaned in and gave me a chaste kiss on the corner of my mouth, and that was it. I was confused and hurt, I didn’t understand why he hadn’t waited for me to go running with him and why he was so cold when he saw me. I hate myself for getting so worked up over it, I hate that I’m so needy. It’s something that hasn’t happened to me before.
His knees begin to bounce quicker, I try my hardest to ignore it but when he starts to drum his fingers on his knee I snap. “Stop it.” My God, it’s so annoying. “For the love of my sanity can you stop?” I plead.
He gives a nervous cough, and I immediately feel bad.
“Sorry, baby,” he says softly, and I melt. “I’m nervous as hell, and I shouldn’t be.”
I reach over and take his hand. “I get it, I really do. We’ll be there soon, and you’ll have your answer. For the record, I’m sure she’ll cry and hug you.”
He smirks but shakes his head. “I doubt she’ll do that. I’m expecting her to ask us to leave.” Silently he stares out the window, and I leave him be. I really don’t think she’ll ask us to leave, she left her husband, that alone should give him hope.
I pull into the parking lot of the diner, and it looks busy. I don’t know if this is a good thing or not. Trent rubs his hands against his thighs. God, he’s so nervous. I want to put my car into reverse and get the hell out of here just so he’ll be okay. But that isn’t going to help matters, he needs to do this. The sooner it’s done, the sooner he can move forward whether that be with Tina in his life or not.
“You ready?” He asks me, and I laugh. “Let’s get the show over with.” He climbs out of the car and waits for me to get out. As I hit lock on the fob, he takes my hand and leads me into the diner. He’s better, I think he’s come to the realization that he’s got to do this, or he’ll regret it. We walk into the diner, hand in hand, garnering a few stares, but no one holds our gazes for too long before they go back to what they were doing.
“Take a seat, and I’ll be with you in a minute,” Someone calls out but can’t make out who said it. Luckily, there’s a booth free in the back corner of the diner by the window. Trent’s spotted it too, and he places his hand at the base of my back and leads me toward the booth. We take a seat opposite each other; Trent’s eyes scan the diner searching for his sister. “If she’s not here we’ll come back another time okay,” I reassure him, and he gives me a smile, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. He’s disappointed. He thought she’d be here today, and I regret getting his hopes up.
“Have you thought about getting the surveillance?” He changes the subject swiftly.
“You heard that?” He nods. “I’ve been considering it but I’m not sure, I don’t want anyone upset or to believe that I’m invading their privacy. Heller wants me to have it set up on every floor, in the elevator, and outside. It’s going to be a drastic change, and I’m not sure if I’d like it.” I shrug; I hate not knowing what to do. On the one hand, it’s probably the correct thing to do, make sure everyone’s safe. Some of my tenants are quieter than the others, and some I don’t see them for months on end. It works well, I don’t get involved with them unless they want or need me to.
“They won’t, they’ll see it for what it is. It’ll be for the safety of you and them so they’ll be on board. It’s not like you’re going to put cameras inside their apartments. They may actually want the security systems put up. Maybe talk to them and see what they say?”
He’s right, but I don’t like the idea of having cameras everywhere. I’ll be wondering who’s monitoring them. “I’ll talk to them and see.” If they all want it, then I’ll do it. I won’t like it, but for everyone’s safety, I’ll do it.
“Good, what about the locks, have they been changed yet?”
“Not yet, I’m going to call Heller when we’re home and see what’s happening with that. I don’t trust Ric not to try to come back. I’m worried about Maggie, she’s working today, and it’ll be real easy for Ric to blindside her there.” I run my fingers across the scar on my wrist. I’m worried.
“I’m sorry, you guys were left waiting. My name’s Tina and I’ll be your waiter…Trent?” I glance up and see a five-foot-three, brown-haired woman staring at Trent in surprise. She is working today. Her facial features are so similar to Trent’s, with her brown hair and brown eyes. Even the way her mouth opens reminds me of him.
“Tina,” he says casually, and I want to kick him. Is that all he’s going to say? She straightens her spine and stares at him; when she bites her lip, it’s a clear sign that she’s scared.. “You look good.” Thank God, he’s smiling as he tells her that, and she instantly relaxes.
“Thank you, you seem happy. I’m so sorry, you’ll never realize how truly sorry I am. I made a huge mistake Trent. God, I thought you’d never want to see me again.” Tears roll down her cheeks, but beneath the tears a beautiful smile graces her face.
“I wasn’t sure to be honest. If you were still with him I wouldn’t want to see you again…”
“I’m not, God, I was so stupid. Three months after you were sent to prison I left him. Mom went crazy as I knew she would but Dad helps me,” she interrupts him. She wants him to see that she’s done the right thing, I like her already. She’s making sure she puts things right with Trent as soon as possible.
“What do you mean Dad’s helping?” Trent’s voice is hard causing Tina to jump. “Tina?” He asks, this time his voice is softer but not like how he normally is, there still is a bit of anger behind the word.
“This really isn’t the time to be talking about this Trent, I’m working. Can we meet later?” She turns toward the counter, and I follow her line of sight to see some guy staring disapprovingly at her. “I’m finished in an hour.”
“Fine. We’ll order something.” His jaw ticks as he narrows his eyes like he’s squinting. He’s irritated and he’s directing it at me. I quickly pull the menu to see what I can get. Right now, I’m not in the mood for food, I think Trent’s being an ass, and listening to him is putting me in a bad mood. “I’ll take a cheeseburger, fries, and a coke.”
Tina nods and glances at me. “I’ll have the same please.” I give her a reassuring smile; she doesn’t deserve to be spoken to the way Trent is talking to her.
“What the hell Trent?” I ask as soon as Tina retreats.
“What?” He frowns. “Why is she acting as though I’m the one in the wrong?”
He really doesn’t see what he’s done wrong. “This is her place of employment Trent, she doesn’t want her business announced to everyone here. Let alone having to deal with you being an ass. I thought you wanted to make amends with her. I thought that was the reason why we came?” I’m so upset, how can he be so callous toward her? It was clear to see that she was trying her hardest to make amends, and yes it will take some time. She never deserved to be scared.
“I don’t get why she’s not telling me why Dad’s helping her,” he bites out, and I’m taken aback, I don’t know why he’s getting angry with me, I’ve not done anything wrong. He shakes his head as he stares out the window.
I pull out my phone and send a quick message to Maggie. I want to make sure everything’s okay. The bell above the diner door dings, and I glance in that direction. Dread fills me as Ric enters the diner. “Hey Tina, looking lovely as usual.” Hearing him talking to Tina makes me want to run over to her and take her away from here. Ric’s eyes land on me, and he uses that cocky smirk of his, the one that he thinks makes him irresistible. He walks over to us, and I groan inwardly. “Michelle,” he says, and he’s acting as though he wasn’t evicted from the apartment last night. Trent turns as Ric approaches us.
“Riccardo,” I reply, and Trent narrows his eyes.
“I hope that we can come to some sort of understanding so that I can move back into my apartment. I don’t like that I was blindsided last night, and I don’t appreciate being proven guilty without even having my side of events listened to.” He’s got to be kidding. Standing there, bold as brass, and acting as though he’s the injured party in all of this.
“Dude, you were lucky last night. Take it as a warning, next time you’ll be arrested,” Trent warns him menacingly, I widen my eyes at Trent, this is a side of him that I haven’t seen before. His whole body vibrating with anger, the blackness of his eyes shows just how angry he is, and I pray that Ric doesn’t say anything to Trent to make him lose his cool any more than he has already.
“Lucky? Is that what you call being accused of assault. I could lose my career if this comes out!” Ric’s getting angry now, his hands balled in fists as he leans in toward Trent and me.
“Ric, tone it down! You’re not going to lose your career yet as no charges have been pressed.” I try to defuse the situation but it doesn’t happen.
Tina walks over with our drinks, and of course, Ric has to be an asshole. “Tina, do you realize that you’re serving a convict?” He says it loudly, and the entire diner descends in silence, everyone is now listening to every word we’re about to say.
She pushes past him and places our drinks down in front of us. “Funny, I thought I was serving my brother and his girlfriend.” She glances back at Ric with disgust. “You have a problem with my brother Detective Montoya?” Gone is the friendly Tina, in her place is a protective sister.
“Tina, leave it. This is your work place, we don’t want you to get fired because some asshole doesn’t know when to shut his mouth,” Trent bites out, a stupid smirk on his face. Shit, he needs to learn when to shut his mouth. Riccardo is a cop, whether he likes it or not, and Ric has a hell of a lot of power, power that could put Trent back behind bars for the smallest thing.
Tina sighs as she turns back toward the counter, the whole diner staring at the four of us. “Can I get you something?” She asks politely, hopefully it will get Ric to calm the hell down and leave us alone.
“I’ll take the club sandwich and a black coffee.” She nods and turns to walk away. “To go,
” he clips out, and I shake my head. There’s no need for the rudeness, especially when she was polite to him.
“Okay Detective, it won’t be long,” Tina replies giving him a smile, one that he doesn’t reciprocate.
“Boyfriend?” Ric asks as soon as Tina disappears from our view.
I sigh heavily. “What do you want Ric?” I wish he would go stand somewhere else. Trent and I don’t need to listen to whatever shit he’s about to spew.
“Since when did Trent become your boyfriend? Last I knew, he was just the cellmate of your father.” As soon as the words leave his mouth, collective gasps fill the air from the diners. Great, just what I needed, everyone aware of my business.
“Detective, it’s time for you to leave!” Trent demands, and Ric’s body goes solid. Great, just what I need. Two testosterone-filled males who hate each other.
“I’m fine right here thank you. You’re a cock tease, Shelly!” He spits out.
Trent jumps up from his seat. “Trent, don’t,” I plead. “He’s not worth it.” He doesn’t sit down, instead he rounds the table as though he’s ready for a fight. “Trent, please, he’s so not worth it.” I get up out of the booth and stand in front of Trent, resting my hand on his chest. God, his heart’s beating so fast. “Trent, he’s not worth it,” I whisper to him and finally, he meets my eyes. “He’s not worth it,” I repeat and instantly his body deflates.
“Baby, he called you a cock tease,” he says through clenched teeth. He’s still angry but not wanting to give Ric a beat down.
“Yeah, and we both know that I’m not. He’s angry, and he’s taking it out on me because he believes I’m the bad guy. Don’t give him the rise he’s wanting, I need you Trent,” I whisper, not wanting anyone but him to hear. God, I can’t believe I’m saying this; I’m actually baring my soul to him. “I can’t lose you Trent.” Just the thought of not having him in my life makes every inch of me hurt. He’s dug so deep in me that there’s no way he’s ever getting loose.
Finding Home Page 12
