blew out a long breath, then decided fuck it. He’d gone this far. It was time to say it all. “You’re right. I didn’t. I got back to your place. All the lights were out. Everybody was asleep. I used the key and I swear to you, I was going to sneak up to your room to see if you could loan me money, but…”
“But?” she prompted.
“I’d have to tell you why I needed it and I didn’t want you to know my dad was a drunk loser in jail.”
“Why not?”
“I was embarrassed. You were the best thing that had ever happened to me and the entire time we dated, I knew I didn’t deserve you.”
Chloe scowled. “That’s bullshit.”
He gave her a crooked grin. “I was a stupid nineteen-year-old kid. I’m not saying I was the sharpest tool in the shed. All I had going for me was my Harley, a lousy dead-end job in a sub shop and my pride. None of those things seemed like enough to keep a girl like you interested. I was in love with you, Chloe, and terrified of fucking everything up. Which I did anyway.”
“So you walked into the house…” she began.
“Your mother’s purse was on the kitchen table. Stealing wasn’t exactly a new thing for me. I rifled through her wallet and found a couple hundred bucks. I was about to leave when I remembered the silver platter in the hutch in the dining room and I grabbed it too. And then I ran. You know, I’ve been wondering. How did you all know it was me who took the money?”
“You’d tucked some of those rose petals in your pocket before we left the shed. A few of them must have fallen out. I wouldn’t have thought anything about it because you’d been in the kitchen when Mama found us sneaking in. But there were a couple by the hutch as well.”
“Guess it’s a good thing I became a cop. I clearly suck at covering my tracks as a thief.”
Chloe smiled at his joke. “What happened after you left?”
“All hell broke loose.”
“What do you mean?”
“I waited for the pawn shop to open the next morning. Took in your mom’s platter and got a few hundred bucks for it. Then I went to the police station and bailed my dad out. I was stressing out over how I was going to find the money to buy the platter back. It was worth more than I realized. Anyway, my dad was in deep shit with some shady guys. He’d agreed to deliver some package, but he didn’t.”
“What was in the package?”
“Drugs. Never figured out if he sold them himself or had one hell of a party, but the package was gone and the guys wanted it or the money it would have brought in sales. They confronted my dad in the parking lot of a bar. Gave him a pretty good beat down. They took off when the cops showed up, but not before they told Dad he had twenty-four hours to produce the drugs or the money.”
“Why was he arrested?”
Blake snorted, the sound betraying a bitterness he didn’t like to show. “Even bloodied, my dad was a mean drunk. He took a swing at one of the cops. When they ran his name through the system, they found out he had some outstanding warrants. The second I sprung him from jail, he started making plans.”
“What kind of plans?”
A rumble of thunder distracted them. Blake looked up at the sky. Afternoon was quickly turning to dusk and dark clouds were forming. Apparently the weathermen had been right. A storm was coming. They’d need to head back to the bike soon or risk getting wet. As it was, Blake wasn’t sure they’d make it to the city before the rain started falling.
“Can we finish this at your place?”
Chloe looked up as well. He got the sense she wanted to finish what they’d started, but even she could see that wasn’t going to happen here. “Sure.”
Her tone gave him no hint to her feelings. Blake stood then offered her a hand. He didn’t release it as they started walking back to his Harley. She didn’t try to pull away. It gave him hope.
The ride back to Chloe’s place felt less peaceful than the trip to the lake. For one thing,
“But?” she prompted.
“I’d have to tell you why I needed it and I didn’t want you to know my dad was a drunk loser in jail.”
“Why not?”
“I was embarrassed. You were the best thing that had ever happened to me and the entire time we dated, I knew I didn’t deserve you.”
Chloe scowled. “That’s bullshit.”
He gave her a crooked grin. “I was a stupid nineteen-year-old kid. I’m not saying I was the sharpest tool in the shed. All I had going for me was my Harley, a lousy dead-end job in a sub shop and my pride. None of those things seemed like enough to keep a girl like you interested. I was in love with you, Chloe, and terrified of fucking everything up. Which I did anyway.”
“So you walked into the house…” she began.
“Your mother’s purse was on the kitchen table. Stealing wasn’t exactly a new thing for me. I rifled through her wallet and found a couple hundred bucks. I was about to leave when I remembered the silver platter in the hutch in the dining room and I grabbed it too. And then I ran. You know, I’ve been wondering. How did you all know it was me who took the money?”
“You’d tucked some of those rose petals in your pocket before we left the shed. A few of them must have fallen out. I wouldn’t have thought anything about it because you’d been in the kitchen when Mama found us sneaking in. But there were a couple by the hutch as well.”
“Guess it’s a good thing I became a cop. I clearly suck at covering my tracks as a thief.”
Chloe smiled at his joke. “What happened after you left?”
“All hell broke loose.”
“What do you mean?”
“I waited for the pawn shop to open the next morning. Took in your mom’s platter and got a few hundred bucks for it. Then I went to the police station and bailed my dad out. I was stressing out over how I was going to find the money to buy the platter back. It was worth more than I realized. Anyway, my dad was in deep shit with some shady guys. He’d agreed to deliver some package, but he didn’t.”
“What was in the package?”
“Drugs. Never figured out if he sold them himself or had one hell of a party, but the package was gone and the guys wanted it or the money it would have brought in sales. They confronted my dad in the parking lot of a bar. Gave him a pretty good beat down. They took off when the cops showed up, but not before they told Dad he had twenty-four hours to produce the drugs or the money.”
“Why was he arrested?”
Blake snorted, the sound betraying a bitterness he didn’t like to show. “Even bloodied, my dad was a mean drunk. He took a swing at one of the cops. When they ran his name through the system, they found out he had some outstanding warrants. The second I sprung him from jail, he started making plans.”
“What kind of plans?”
A rumble of thunder distracted them. Blake looked up at the sky. Afternoon was quickly turning to dusk and dark clouds were forming. Apparently the weathermen had been right. A storm was coming. They’d need to head back to the bike soon or risk getting wet. As it was, Blake wasn’t sure they’d make it to the city before the rain started falling.
“Can we finish this at your place?”
Chloe looked up as well. He got the sense she wanted to finish what they’d started, but even she could see that wasn’t going to happen here. “Sure.”
Her tone gave him no hint to her feelings. Blake stood then offered her a hand. He didn’t release it as they started walking back to his Harley. She didn’t try to pull away. It gave him hope.
The ride back to Chloe’s place felt less peaceful than the trip to the lake. For one thing,
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