Spring Secrets - Allie Boniface Page 0,21
lights and curling into a ball on her bed if the world got too scary. This wasn’t much different. As her eyes adjusted, she made out the girl’s tiny frame in the far corner. Sienna held out one hand. “I need you to come out now.” Please. “I promise you I will be here for you. I will not leave you, and I will make things as safe as I can for you.”
A figure moved in the shadows, and a moment later, Dawn reached out one sticky hand and placed it in Sienna’s. The girl didn’t speak. But she squeezed Sienna’s fingers slightly, as if to say, “Okay, I’m here. But remember. You promised.”
LATER THAT NIGHT, DASH unlocked his apartment with a yawn. He debated watching the Knicks-Lakers game, but he’d already missed the first half. Instead, he tuned his iPod to a rap station and spooned vanilla ice cream into a bowl. It wasn’t health food, but he spent enough time working out that he figured he could cheat every so often.
His phone buzzed on the kitchen table after a few minutes. Going to the Watering Hole later, Zane texted.
Dash rubbed his eyes and yawned again. Long day. Gonna skip it. The bar scene had lost its appeal long ago, and even though he sometimes went on an occasional Friday or Saturday night, he was usually content to sit at home. His phone buzzed again, and he was about to send Zane a bunch of X-rated emojis when he checked the name on the screen.
Hey, friend, Sienna had written. You still up?
He licked the last of the ice cream from his spoon and set it in the empty bowl. Hey there. How’s things?
Long day.
Bad or good?
Little of both. I overslept & was late. The kids flipped out.
Dash kicked off his shoes and carried his phone into the bedroom, where he stretched out on his bed. I’m sure they’ll be OK.
I’m sure they will too. Just started the day off wrong.
Dash rested his head on one arm. Was this what friends did? Texted about their day? He’d rather talk to her in person. Of course, if she was actually here in person, he didn’t think they’d talk for very long. He’d be too busy trying to figure out how to get her clothes off, despite what he’d told her about not getting involved.
He wriggled out of his workout pants and pulled his shirt over his head. You’ll never guess what happened at the gym.
What??? This time she sent a smiley face along with the words.
2 clients found out they R sleeping w/ the same guy. Shoulda seen the looks on their faces when they found out. It took him almost a minute to type the message.
She sent back a bunch of exclamation points. No way! Small town life LOL.
People cheat in big cities too. A lump rose into his throat as he typed. Boy, did they ever.
True. But they’re not coming into the same place at the same time, right? That could happen 10 times a day here.
He didn’t answer. Didn’t matter. Didn’t affect him. He stared at the bubbles on the phone, waiting for her next message to come. But they went away after a minute. Had he offended her? Hell. He knew he couldn’t do this right. On impulse, he sent a quick final question.
Got any dinner plans tomorrow? He wasn’t sure he should ask. Maybe she’d get the wrong idea. Hell, maybe he had the wrong idea in asking. But he liked Sienna. And he wanted to see her outside of the gym. So sue him. Friends had dinner together, didn’t they?
Her response took almost a minute to come, but it was worth it when it did. Nope. Meet u at the diner at 8?
Chapter Eleven
Sienna walked into Zeb’s at five past eight the following evening. Outside on the sidewalk, a stray cat had slinked across her path, yellow and white with a tail bent in the middle like it was broken. Poor thing. She’d seen a few of them here and there on this end of town. Must be tough scrapping out a life when no one wants you.
She spied Dash sitting at the counter, but as she walked over, he climbed off his stool and met her halfway. Josie grabbed two menus and led them to a table in the back corner of the restaurant.
“Hey, y’all,” she said, and to her credit, she didn’t blink an eye when she saw them together. “Drinks?”
“Just water,” Sienna