Concealed Hearts (Hometown Jasper #4) - Nicky James Page 0,95

sock, poking his big toe in and out, stretching it and making it bigger. “You don’t mind if I stay for a bit?”

“Of course not. So long as you don’t mind Tomi being around.”

“That’s cool. He seems nice. Maybe he wants to have pizza with us too.”

“I think that sounds like a great idea. I’ll invite him to join us.” I gestured to the hallway. “Give me twenty minutes.” Before I got to the bathroom, I turned back and called down the hall. “Feel free to invite Grant too if you want. We can go pick him up, or Tomi can grab him on his way over later.”

Felix didn’t respond, so I let the invitation settle. It was up to him. I wouldn’t push too hard.

I shot Tomi another text when I got to the bathroom. His response came right away that time.

Tomi: Pizza sounds great! I’ll be there around five. Let me know if you want me to get Grant.

I made quick time showering, and we were out the door, heading to the Sauvage residence in no time. Felix bounced his knee and chewed his nails the whole way. He was hard to communicate with, reserved, and kept his thoughts close to his chest. I didn’t know how to talk to a teenager, so I tried to relate to him using a personal story, hoping he’d see I did understand what he was going through in a way.

“I came out to my parents after college. Brought this guy I was dating at the time home with me. That was the day I learned my father was a bigot. I was given an ultimatum and told to leave. Unless I changed my mind, I wasn’t to come back.”

Felix stopped fidgeting and watched me from under long bangs. “What did you do?”

“I left. I was in love. After graduating from the academy, my boyfriend and I had gone our separate ways. Things didn’t work out, and there was a lot of discrimination against homosexuality while we were there. Alan revolted, and I shut down. He got kicked out, and I toed the line. I knew if I wanted to come back to Jasper and join the force, I’d have to make a decision.”

“You chose to stay quiet about yourself?”

“I did.” I parked in front of Felix’s house and killed the engine. Neither of us moved. “The point is, I made a mistake. You can’t be something you’re not. You can try, but in the end, it won’t work. You’ll be miserable. Lonely. Hiding wasn’t the answer. It didn’t make my father happy either. He resented me until the day he died. And it certainly didn’t make me happy. I spent over twenty years ignoring who I was, thinking that it was for the best. I can tell you that in less than a day, I feel better and more alive than I’ve felt since the day I graduated from the academy and came home.”

Felix seemed to consider my words. He stared at the dash, his fingers picking at the seam on his jeans. “My dad’s a bigot too. Lots of people are. It’s why I get in so many fights at school.”

“Standing up for Grant?”

“Yeah. But not just Grant. I’m standing up for what’s right. I know fighting isn’t the answer. It just makes me angry, and I don’t know what else to do.”

“I get it. It builds inside of you until it’s such a tight knot of fury, you have to let it out somehow, or it will poison you.”

“Yeah.”

Felix needed to learn other ways to handle his raw emotions. It was my guess, he’d watched his father handle his anger with his fists all his life and didn’t know any other way. He was a good kid at heart, and I thought with positive guidance, he could grow up to be a better man.

It gave me more things to think about.

We both stared at the house for a long time, no more words passing between us. It stretched on so long, I knew we needed to take action.

“Ready?”

“I guess.”

“I’m on your side.”

His mother, Catherine, answered the door. Her expressionless gaze and pinched lips made her hard to read. She greeted Felix as though he was a door-to-door salesman, not her son. There was no compassion, no concern, and no love in her eyes.

“Cleveland isn’t here. He’s made it very clear you’re not welcome under this roof any longer.”

My heart hurt for the kid. Her words were harsh and far