Charming (16 page)

Haley laughed, tears springing into her eyes. “I know. She knew, too.”

“Your mother is the reason John and I are married. She offered me a job in accounting, and that’s how he and I met the second time.”

“Ooh, Mom, you never told me that Dad was your boss. How scandalous.” Chris popped a grape in his mouth, a hint of his earlier happiness sweeping through his smile.

“Not much different from you and Haley, dear.”

Chris choked. “Excuse me?”

Oh God
.

“Oh, come on, Chris. You two hanging out almost every day. She works the store front; you manage operations of the store.” Mr. Charming sat up straighter. “Which we’ll have to be careful about if this moves any further.”

“Further?” Haley knew her cheeks matched Chris’s. She knew they were just as red, just as embarrassed.

“You didn’t try to hide what almost happened a minute ago,” Mrs. Charming said, fanning herself—oh God, oh God, oh God. “And it’s okay. We’re happy you two are finally getting to know one another. You have so much in common.”

Like what? Chris jumped from planes, had several more zeroes at the end of his bank account, attended an amazing school, and had parents who loved him. Haley’s Dad loved to abuse her, Joce enjoyed reminding Haley of everything she hid about their mom, and Haley’s bank account? Nada.

She bit her tongue.

“How are your father and sister doing, Haley?” Mr. Charming asked, glancing at Chris, then quickly back to Haley who returned to rubbing palms together. “Have you heard from your dad lately? I checked around the office, and a couple of the mailroom clerks said they’ve seen him.”

“They have? Where?”

Mr. Charming frowned. “I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, but they said they’ve seen him in the pubs.”

Pubs. Doubtful. Maybe the psycho found a way to get to more people. Maybe this scheme of his involved so many innocent lives, lives Haley was responsible for. “Haven’t seen him.”

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Dad must still be alive. Had to be. Haley couldn’t live without that hope, that stupid hope that always let her down. But not this time. She needed it. Wanted it.
God, please, please let Dad be okay
.

Chris brushed his hand across Haley’s, the gentle touch sending thousands of tiny bolts of electricity into her skin, and thousands of pounds of guilt to her heart.

“We’re going to take a short walk before it gets dark.” Mr. Charming noticed their closeness. “Behave, you two.”

Mr. and Mrs. Charming held hands and headed down one of the hiking trails.

“He popped the question somewhere down there. Said he’d show me one day, but I think I already know.” Chris leaned back on his elbows, tugging Haley down beside him. “Truth?”

“Maybe.” If it didn’t cost too much.

“Why do you have such a hard time talking about your dad? What’s he like? Does he treat you all right?”

Danger. Danger. Danger. Too many questions. Too much truth. “Yeah. Fine.”

Did Chris know something? See into Haley, the pain and fear and guilt and nerves, straight to the demons in her closet? Or did he know something he refused to share? Maybe Dad’s abuse wasn’t such a secret. Maybe the whole town knew about the way he treated Haley and Mom. But none of the pain he inflicted, none of it compared to the situation Haley found herself in now.

“If you ever want to tell me the truth, I’ll listen.”

“I know.” And just like that, Haley admitted there was more to tell. No fight. No fear. Just… comfort. So dangerous. “Thank you.”

They lay on the blanket and stared up as the sky changed acts, the blue curtain disappearing, a black one taking its place, full of bright stars and hope for a new day. No, that was Haley’s hope, hope that things could change. Be better. That she could find a way to tell the Charmings without surrendering the lives of her family.

“Hey, kids.” Mrs. Charming stood by their feet, smiling down at them, still linked to her husband. “We should head out. Park closes at dark. Plus your dad and I have a movie to go see.”

Chris drove Haley back to his house; both sat quietly, leaning somewhat toward the center of the small Porsche. He pulled up next to Dad’s truck and sighed. “Thank you for being so good to them.”

“Chris—”

“No, I mean it.” Chris opened the truck door for her, then closed it as she slid onto the cold leather seat.

Haley rolled down the window and leaned on her elbow, so close to him, so freaking close. “They’re good people.”

And deserve better than me in their life
.

“Most people treat them as if they’re just money bags from which to draw upon when they have a need.”

“I don’t need anything from them. I just want your family to be happy, you to be happy, Chris.”

“You’re different, Haley Tremaine.”

“So are you, Chris Charming.” Haley turned the key in the ignition, but the truck wouldn’t start. Cold, stabbing panic ripped apart her lungs. “Guess I’ll need to walk.”

“You’re nuts if you think I’m letting you walk. Murderer on the loose, remember?” Laughing, Chris opened the door and took Haley by the hand, then guided her to the driver’s side of his car. “In fact, I’d really like you to drive.”

She smiled and snatched the keys. “Okay. Fine, but you better wear your seatbelt.”

He did, and she drove, and they laughed, winding down country roads, passing cars as though they sat still and Chris and Haley were in a speeding bullet. Haley downshifted and squealed the tires as she stopped in front of her house on Main Street. But when she glanced at the front of the house, her heart skidded to a halt.

Niles sat on her porch, bouquet of flowers in hand, scowling.

hris,” Niles spit out, wearing a black hoodie and blue jeans, looking broody as hell with his bouquet of roses and narrowed eyes as Haley and Chris joined him on the porch. “I’d expect this from you, but not Haley.”

“Say that again, jackass.” Chris tucked Haley behind him, but she slipped from his protective embrace and pointed at the house door.

“Just go inside. I’ve got this, Chris.”

Chris didn’t budge. Stubborn male. She had enough problems with Dad and Joce and a psycho. The last thing Haley needed was two guys fighting on her front porch.

“You’re protecting him, Hales?” Niles tossed the roses against the sidewalk. “How could you? You told me you couldn’t be with anyone. Couldn’t dedicate yourself to anyone. And here you are, with
him
. Chris Charming, ladies’ man. Is it that you couldn’t be with anyone, or that you couldn’t be with anyone worth a damn?”

“Niles, I think you need to leave.” Chris stepped closer to Haley’s ex-boyfriend, chest puffed out and arms crossed.

“You going to make me?”

“Please, Niles.” Haley touched his arm, but he swatted her off like an annoying bug. “I’m sorry I hurt you.”

“So are the rumors all true? You two… you know?”

Haley knew everything anyone ever said about her, about Chris, and probably about Niles had been lies on top of lies fueled by jealousy, boredom, or something she wasn’t quite sure of. In this moment, Haley understood why Chris let people believe the rumors. Letting people believe was so much easier than defending.

She nodded.

“So you’re a liar.”

A thick layer of testosterone built an invisible wall between the boys, Chris growling and nearly clawing to get at Niles.

Haley pushed Chris back. “Call me whatever you want, Niles, but you can’t keep popping up.”

“On our anniversary! How could you? You said you’d never love anyone else. And you let this asshole woo your panties off. How many others? And why can’t I keep coming over? If this is how you’re going to act, you’re probably letting anyone in—”

Chris threw a right hook and clocked Niles in the jaw. Niles stumbled back, then laughed. Chris punched him again, again, again.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

“Stop,” she whimpered, tears flooding her eyes. Haley had witnessed too many fights, too many punches thrown, some of them at her—like that time she called out of school for a week with a broken rib because she fell down the stairs. A.k.a, Dad was the stairs and she didn’t want anyone to ask questions.

When Niles kept laughing and Chris kept punching, pinning Haley’s ex between his knees, she ran inside and locked the door, trying desperately to shake the image of Chris tensed and sneering out of her mind. She didn’t want to think of him that way, or anyone.

“You fucked up, moron.” Niles chuckled dangerously low, dangerously quiet. “Haley hates violence, and you just showed her exactly how violent you can be.”

Sliding to her butt, back against the door, hoping her “visitor” hadn’t chosen this moment to break into her room, or Dad’s, or Joce’s, and leave any more notes, Haley pulled her cell from her jeans pocket and dropped her phone twice while pulling up her text messages.

I’m sorry 4 leaving u outside with him, but watching 2 people go at it isn’t something I can handle, especially when it’s about me. Thx for trying 2 defend me. Please don’t ever do it again.

The guys stayed outside a little longer and talked in muffled voices about stupid boy things, then drove off, leaving a layer of tire tread on the asphalt.

Heart still racing out of control, Haley pushed the fight from her thoughts and went from room to room, checking windows, looking for notes, for creeps hiding under beds, for anything, even a shoe print that would give her something more than a few letters written in her sister’s handwriting. But all was quiet, too quiet, and empty, and she had nothing more to go on than a dead cable guy, a finger, some connection to the Charmings, and… and what? A threat to act normal.

Would she ever find a way out of this?

A few hours later, after Haley had calmed her anxious nerves enough to lie down, her phone buzzed. She picked it up off her nightstand and read the message:

I’m sorry 4 hitting him, not for defending you. Won’t let idiots get the best of me next time.

Haley took a deep breath and wiped away tears with her already soaked tissue, then closed her eyes and managed to get a few hours of dreamless sleep before school the next day.

She drifted through the house, emptiness gnawing at her belly, then grabbed her school bag and headed out.