Rocked (The Everyday Heroes World) - Julia Wolf Page 0,78
moments in Sunnyville without the darkness that had crept in at the edges in LA. Now, that was all I could focus on.
Prying questions from reporters.
Seeing Kat talking to my ex.
The mortifying memories Michaela let fly.
Carter Dawes flirting with my woman right in front of me.
Me being too much of an asshole to tell him to get lost.
Kat pulling away.
Kat pulling away.
Kat pulling so far away, I might’ve lost her for good.
She was scared, worried, out of her depth, but so was I. I had real feelings for her I had no idea what to do with. She’d told me not to fall for her, but it was too damn late.
The funny thing was, I was the celebrity, but Kat, my small-town girl, was the one who was unobtainable.
Yeah, maybe that wasn’t so funny. Maybe it wrenched my ribs apart and shook my heart loose from its resting place.
When we finally landed, grabbed our bags, and got into my car, Kat was shaking.
“Tell me where to go.” I was trying like hell to be steady for her.
“Better Buzz on Main Street.”
I paused for a second, my hands on the wheel. “Yeah?”
She stared straight ahead. “Yes, can we go now?”
“Rose works there?” I asked as I drove.
“Yes. She has Ellie.” She sounded flat, her wall so firmly in place, I could barely see the Kat I knew at all.
“Did you hear from Ellie?”
“She texted me a little bit ago. She’s doing her homework.” She slid her palms down her thighs, then back up.
“So, she’s safe?”
Kat made something like a gurgling, choking sound, then cleared her throat. “Can we not get into it?”
“Sorry.” I reached over and squeezed her stiff hand. As I was about to pull away, she squeezed back.
“You have nothing to be sorry about, Devon. This is all on me.”
After that, she was quiet, turning away from me to face her window. When I pulled up in front of Better Buzz, she took off like a flash, charging into the coffee shop before I could even climb out of the car.
I walked in with trepidation, unsure what I’d find. Relief flooded me to see Ellie sitting cross-legged in one of the cushy chairs near the fireplace, piles of books all around her. Kat stood beside her, pressing the heel of her hand to her forehead. And the woman who’d served me coffee the day I came in here—Rose—was making her way from behind the counter.
“Grandma let me choose as many books from her shelf as I wanted. Some aren’t age-appropriate, so I am going to save them for later. You might want to read them. They’re romance.” Ellie waggled her eyebrows, oblivious to her mother’s distress.
“You were in Grandma’s house?” Kat’s voice wavered, and her eyes darted to Rose, who nodded her head as she dried her hands on her apron.
“Victor dropped her off on his way to work. I let her choose a few books to keep busy while I worked my shift.” Rose stepped closer, her hands waving in the air around Kat. “Oh, honey. You’re so red. Don’t be angry or afraid. I would never let anything happen to Eleanor.”
Kat’s eyes narrowed, and she practically hissed. “But you did.”
Rose’s hand pressed into her chest. “I did, yes. But I’m not that woman anymore, and neither are you. I so enjoy my time with my granddaughter.”
“Did you give her any food?”
Rose sighed. “No, baby. My kitchen isn’t allergy-proof, so we stayed away. Eleanor spent a half-hour picking books and we’ve been here ever since. If you’ll let her come back to my house, I’ll make sure to scrub every surface and get rid of all the allergens. Every last one.”
“That isn’t happening.” The shakiness of Kat’s hands had transferred to her voice, which was low and quiet.
“When will you let the past go? You carry it with you, so much gray around your edges, baby.” Rose’s mellow voice could have convinced a hungry shark to go vegan, but it didn’t work on Kat. Her shoulders were tight, her eyes were hard.
“Let it go?” Kat huffed a laugh that held no humor.
I felt like I’d missed something big. Something important. But now still wasn’t the time for my questions.
Ellie unfolded herself from the chair, smiling at me. “I liked your suit, Devon. And didn’t my mom look amazing?”
The kid knew exactly what she was doing. She recognized the tension between her mom and grandma and intervened the way she knew how.