The Moth and the Flame (When Rivals Play #2) - B.B. Reid Page 0,76

playing games of my own.

The kinds with benefits.

My heart was pumping a mile a minute when I hit send. Setting my phone down, I quickly cleaned up all the while listening for the chime signaling his reply.

Just as I predicted, it never came.

Wren’s natural response to any challenge was to fight, but when it came to our friendship, he always fled.

Sometimes, I wondered if I’d mistaken curiosity for interest the night we met. The stalking that followed hadn’t helped matters, but perhaps I’d been naïve. Wren’s speed was someone like Samantha who had more legs and experience to offer than I did.

By the time I made it downstairs, I’d completely lost my appetite.

The ache in my stomach only worsened when I caught Mr. and Mrs. Henderson eyeing me nervously during dinner for the third time. When Mr. Henderson took a deep breath, I knew I wasn’t going to like hearing whatever was on their minds.

“I have wonderful news,” he cheerfully announced. Mrs. Henderson couldn’t contain her sudden excitement, making it clear she’d already heard the news. “I’ve been offered the position of warden.”

While the Hendersons celebrated, my mind raced as I waited for the other shoe to drop. A promotion meant more money, which they could certainly use, but it wasn’t a cause for the worry I’d glimpsed. Perhaps it meant the extra money the Henderson’s received for fostering me was no longer needed.

“Does this mean I’m getting a raise in my allowance?” Eliza squealed, confirming part of my suspicions.

Why keep an extra mouth around to feed if that mouth was always causing trouble? More than once, I’d put them in danger of facing severe consequences whenever I ran away, and they didn’t report it at Wren’s behest. In the five years since my parents abandoned me, I’d stayed in many shelters—some good, most bad—but living with the Hendersons had come closest to feeling like home. I’d built a wall around my heart, and while Wren held no qualms about forcing his way in, the Hendersons had been gentler and patient. A lot of good it did them. I’d had enough of being handled with kid gloves. My parents were also patient. I had enough of that, too.

I no longer trusted kindness. How many people were kind because it was their true nature and not because they feared the consequences that honesty brings? How many have offered compassion only to rip out hearts when no one was looking?

It’s the assholes who aren’t appreciated enough. At least you could count on them to look you in the eye and tell you what’s what.

Despite my fears, I was happy for the Hendersons. They were good people who deserved more but found it in their hearts to be content with the little they had. No matter where I ended up, I wished them the world.

“We’ll discuss that later,” Mr. Henderson patiently deflected. “There’s more you should know.” Mrs. Henderson reached across the table, and they joined hands. “The promotion requires that I relocate.”

Eliza’s happy smile quickly fell as her forehead wrinkled in confusion. “Okaaaay…so how far are we talking? Brooklyn? Long Island?” Light suddenly entered her eyes again. “Manhattan?” she squealed happily.

“No, sweetie. Your father’s new job is in Austin.”

“We’ll be leaving at the end of the year,” Mr. Henderson announced. There was a finality to it.

“Texas?” Eliza yelled so loudly that even I was startled from my stupor. “But that’s on the other side of the country! I have a life here!”

“Eliza, you’re only sixteen,” Mrs. Henderson chillingly reminded. “The life that your father and I gave you is a figment, which will end right here at this table if you continue to scream at your father in my house.”

I was both impressed and a little shaken by Mrs. Henderson. She showed remarkable poise in the face of her daughter’s rage while Mr. Henderson was more contrite. He always had trouble telling Eliza no, whereas Mrs. Henderson was sterner in her rule.

“I know you’re reluctant to leave your friends behind, but this move is good for our family. I’d no longer have to question if I’d be able to send my child to college,” he passionately argued.

“But what about Lou? You’d just abandon her? And have you forgotten what God thinks of money? For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil,” she recited.

My gaze cut her way, but she was too busy hurling Bible verses to notice. I knew deep down Eliza cared about what happened to