This Much is True - Tia Louise Page 0,76
me off. Turning to face the sound, I see a masked guard approaching.
“You’ve got a visitor.” He stands outside the door waiting, and I check the clock.
Is it possible Scout got here that fast? Is it Hope? Looking down at the heavy, light blue shirt I’m wearing, I wince.
It’s the same thing I was wearing the first day we met. The same shirt she slipped over her naked body in the motel room that night. I’ll never forget her standing in the shaft of light from the bathroom like an old-school centerfold.
Even if she knows it’s wrong and I shouldn’t be here, I hate for her to see me this way.
The guard motions for me to go into a glass-windowed room, again, saying it’s for safety.
“My brother, the jailbird.” Scout’s voice greets me from the other side of the glass. He’s grinning, but I don’t smile.
“You made good time.” My voice is flat. “Did you find the phone?”
“Hope did.” His smile fades, and he shakes his head. “She said the guy at the repair shop was pretty grim.”
My chin drops as the wave of anger surges through me. “So that’s it.”
“Nope.” His voice is sharp, determined. “New plan. You’re going to tell me where I can find Clyde Shaw, and I’m going to get his confession myself.”
Our eyes meet, and I’m conflicted. “I can’t let you do that. If you got in trouble—”
“The way I see it, you don’t have much choice. I came here to help you. You’ve got a little boy praying his daddy will come home every night.”
My throat aches, and I can’t escape how much that hurts. “I don’t want to let him down.”
Scout steps closer to the glass. “So tell me where that asshole is hiding.”
That makes me laugh. “He’s not hiding. At least he wasn’t. He’s right out in plain sight living over the Ritual Roasters at Buena Vista Park.”
“That’s all I needed.”
Looking up at him, I’m not sure what to say. “How did it come to this? I tried to look out for us. I wanted to be a good dad—”
“You’re the best dad. You got hit hard, but you’ve thrown me the ball, and I always catch it. I always run it in for the win.” He puts the side of his fist on the glass. “I won’t let you down this time.”
“You’ve never let me down.” I put my fist up across from his.
“Not even when I was Rammin’ Rod?” His eyes twinkle, and I just shake my head.
“Don’t get arrested. Can’t have you in prison with that reputation. I’ll never get any sleep.”
“I won’t.” He shoves his hands in his pockets and looks down. “Hope’s here. She wants to see you.”
Shame flashes in my chest. “I don’t want her to see me like this.”
“Like what? You look like you did all the way to Charleston. Except for when you shaved your beard.”
Reaching up, I scrub my fingers through my stubble. “I guess you’re right.”
“She’s the one. I’m telling you. Marry her.”
“I’m not tying her down to a jailbird. Fuck that.”
“When I spring your ass out of here, the first thing you’re going to do to repay me is propose to her.”
“I can’t propose to a girl I’ve only known five weeks.”
“You proposed to a girl you knew five years. How did that work out?”
My jaw tightens, and I turn away from the glass. “I still can’t believe Becky did this.”
Scout’s quiet a minute, and when I look back, he’s mad. “You think Becky turned you in?”
“When I told her I wanted Jesse full-time, she threatened to call the parole board.”
His blue eyes flash, and he steps back from the window. “I’ve got a call to make. I’m sending Hope in now.” He pauses at the door. “You look at her and tell me if you don’t see your future there.”
“I can’t see a future there until I don’t see a future here.”
“Your days in this shit hole are numbered. Next time I see you, I’m coming with a lawyer.”
He strides out of the anteroom, and I hesitate. I’m not sure if she’ll enter immediately, or…
“JR?” Her soft voice hits me right in the chest.
“Hope?” I step forward, putting both hands on the glass.
She’s rushes to it, putting her palms flat against mine. Still, this fucking barrier is between us. Tears are in her eyes, and it causes my chest to ache.
“I’m sorry, Hope.”
“No!” She shakes her head. “It’s not your fault. We’re going to fix this. Scout’s here, and he’s