Buried in Secrets (Carly Moore #4) - Denise Grover Swank Page 0,50
his breath hitched a little and his fingers curled in slightly. It bothered him. “That makes sense,” he said, picking up a chip. “He likes Hank, so he’ll give you a discount.”
I grimaced. “He refuses to take Hank’s money, but he insisted on coming by for breakfast tomorrow morning. Says Hank will only agree to accept his help if he thinks I’m okay with having him around.”
He stared at me for a second. “Is this another desperate attempt on his part to win you back?”
“We both know it is, even if he won’t admit it. Still, Hank spends so much time alone. I hate that he’s stuck out there. And from what I’ve gathered, Wyatt used to spend a lot of time with Hank and Seth. It stands to reason that Hank misses him. I feel like I stole his friend from him.”
A dark look rolled across his face, but I knew it wasn’t for me. Wyatt had earned this one. “You did no such thing. Wyatt was the one who acted like an ass. Hank’s a smart man, and he didn’t approve of the way Wyatt treated you. And yeah, he partially sent Wyatt away for your sake, but consider this: Hank could have him come by when you’re working evenings, and he never does.”
“I suppose.”
“Does Hank know you went to Wyatt?”
“Not yet.”
He grinned. “You might want to let him know before Wyatt shows up for breakfast. That old coot is as stubborn as the day is long. He might not like it.”
I made a face. “At least it’s on home ground. Wyatt wanted me to have breakfast with him somewhere else, but I insisted on doing it at Hank’s since he claims the purpose is for Hank to see us together.”
“Good thinkin’,” Marco said, then his smile faded. “You don’t have to let him come. You can tell him you’ve found someone else to take care of it.”
“But I haven’t.”
“But you can,” he said. “I’ll help you, and if it’s a matter of money—”
“Marco. I’m not taking your money.”
“If it’s a matter of money,” he repeated more firmly, “you have other options.” He started to say something else, stopped, then shook his head. “We both know that Wyatt’s manipulating you, but you’re right. He gave Hank companionship. And if you have to leave Drum unexpectedly at some point, I’m sure you’ll feel better knowing that someone’s there for him.”
He was right. I hated the idea of leaving Hank with no one. I knew Wyatt would step in, regardless of the state of their friendship, but Hank was a stubborn man. It would be better for him to work things out with Wyatt before I left.
“You think I’ll be leaving Drum soon?” I asked quietly.
His gaze held mine. “I think we’re about to embark on a dangerous task, and you need to be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice. We can’t afford for you to get hung up over your concern for Hank.”
He was right about that, and it was part of the reason I’d gone to see Wyatt earlier. I knew it was possible. Still, the thought of leaving Hank put an ache deep in my chest.
Marco took a breath, then said, “You know that Wyatt will help Hank whether you have breakfast with him or not. You don’t have to let him rope you into it.”
“Yeah, probably, but he’d drag it out, making me think he won’t help. And I don’t know how much time I have to waste. If I have to leave, I need to know Hank’ll be okay.”
“I’ll stand behind whatever you decide,” Marco said. “You’re a grown woman capable of makin’ your own decisions. I’ll never tell you what to do.”
Yet I could see how badly he wanted me to tell Wyatt no. Nevertheless, he wouldn’t ask, let alone demand or insist. He would always let me have complete control over my choices. It only made me appreciate him more.
So why didn’t it silence that little voice in my head wondering when the other shoe would drop?
“One more thing,” Marco said, his gaze dropping to his half-eaten sandwich. “I think you need to prep a go bag.”
I narrowed my eyes in confusion. “What’s a go bag?”
“A bag you have packed and ready so that you can leave at a moment’s notice. There might not be time to say goodbye, Carly. You might just have to leave.”
I swallowed. This was getting all too real. “Yeah, that’s a good idea. I’ll stop at the