that way together for the rest of the afternoon, the clinking of dishes and the sound of the broom over the floor the only breaks in the silence.
Chapter 9: Who We Were
They’d scrubbed every inch of the trailer by the time Micah returned with pizzas.
His eyes widened as he faltered in the doorway. “Am I in the right place?”
His speech sounded slurred, and Addison could tell by the unfocused look in his eyes that he’d been drinking.
“We busted our asses cleaning while you were off getting drunk,” she accused from where she sat on the couch. She and Jackson had just settled in the living room with I Love Lucy re-runs when Micah came stumbling in.
He gave a lazy shrug and set the three pizza boxes he’d been holding on the card table in the kitchen. Settling onto one of the folding chairs pushed up to the plastic table, he produced a six-pack of beer and popped one open.
“Doesn’t look like I missed much.”
She curled one hand into a fist and fought the urge to ram it down his throat. The more time she spent in Micah’s presence, the harder the impulse became to resist. Jack’s hand covered hers in a soothing gesture and when she turned to look at him, calm suffused her.
How does he do that?
“Hungry?” he asked.
Standing, he offered her a hand up. She accepted, letting him pull her to her feet. She trailed him to the table and sat across from Micah. With no other chairs, Jack chose to stand, leaning against the counter as he opened one of the pizza boxes and slid a slice onto one of the now clean plates.
She shooed Gabriel, an orange tabby, away as she tried to force herself to eat. Coming back here had stolen her appetite, but she hadn’t eaten since that morning and the sun had started to set beyond the windows of the trailer. She’d just taken her first bite of extra cheese and pepperoni when her mother appeared from the bedroom.
Addison swallowed past the fist-sized lump in her throat, the slice slipping from her fingers and plopping down onto her plate. She took her time standing up, her eyes locking with a pair that had once been identical to hers. Over the years, Elizabeth Monroe’s eyes had lost their luster … as had everything else about her. She’d faded, blending into the background of her environment, as dusty and worn as the curtains.
“Addie,” she said with a sniffle, pulling a robe closed over her half-dressed body and belting it tight. “When did you get here?”
“My guess is sometime right after you injected yourself with your favorite brand of poison.”
Elizabeth lowered her eyes, having the grace to at least look ashamed. “If I had known you were coming, I would have cleaned up a bit … went to town to get some food.”
“The house is clean, Mama,” she said, a biting edge to her voice.
Elizabeth glanced around the small space as if seeing it for the first time. “Huh,” she mumbled as she came into the kitchenette. “So it is.”
She stood on her tiptoes to retrieve a carton of cigarettes from on top of the refrigerator, and slid a new pack free. She eyed Micah and Jack as she opened it and pulled a slim, white cigarette loose. “Who’re your friends? The black one’s cute. Kind of intense and serious-looking, but still …”
“Mama!” Addison shot Jack an apologetic look, but she could see he was fighting back a laugh. “That’s Jackson, and he’s a friend of mine. This is Micah and he’s … well, he’s with Jack.”
“Of course, he is,” Elizabeth snapped, her gaze darting back and forth between her companions. Something about the way she looked at them made Addison uneasy. “They’re partners, right? Guardians always come in pairs.”
Jack wrinkled his eyebrows. “You know about Guardians?”
Elizabeth laughed as she used the gas range to light her cigarette. “Know about ’em?” She reached up to the collar of her robe with one hand. Pulling it, and the strap of her bra aside, she took a long draw on her
Chapter 9: Who We Were
They’d scrubbed every inch of the trailer by the time Micah returned with pizzas.
His eyes widened as he faltered in the doorway. “Am I in the right place?”
His speech sounded slurred, and Addison could tell by the unfocused look in his eyes that he’d been drinking.
“We busted our asses cleaning while you were off getting drunk,” she accused from where she sat on the couch. She and Jackson had just settled in the living room with I Love Lucy re-runs when Micah came stumbling in.
He gave a lazy shrug and set the three pizza boxes he’d been holding on the card table in the kitchen. Settling onto one of the folding chairs pushed up to the plastic table, he produced a six-pack of beer and popped one open.
“Doesn’t look like I missed much.”
She curled one hand into a fist and fought the urge to ram it down his throat. The more time she spent in Micah’s presence, the harder the impulse became to resist. Jack’s hand covered hers in a soothing gesture and when she turned to look at him, calm suffused her.
How does he do that?
“Hungry?” he asked.
Standing, he offered her a hand up. She accepted, letting him pull her to her feet. She trailed him to the table and sat across from Micah. With no other chairs, Jack chose to stand, leaning against the counter as he opened one of the pizza boxes and slid a slice onto one of the now clean plates.
She shooed Gabriel, an orange tabby, away as she tried to force herself to eat. Coming back here had stolen her appetite, but she hadn’t eaten since that morning and the sun had started to set beyond the windows of the trailer. She’d just taken her first bite of extra cheese and pepperoni when her mother appeared from the bedroom.
Addison swallowed past the fist-sized lump in her throat, the slice slipping from her fingers and plopping down onto her plate. She took her time standing up, her eyes locking with a pair that had once been identical to hers. Over the years, Elizabeth Monroe’s eyes had lost their luster … as had everything else about her. She’d faded, blending into the background of her environment, as dusty and worn as the curtains.
“Addie,” she said with a sniffle, pulling a robe closed over her half-dressed body and belting it tight. “When did you get here?”
“My guess is sometime right after you injected yourself with your favorite brand of poison.”
Elizabeth lowered her eyes, having the grace to at least look ashamed. “If I had known you were coming, I would have cleaned up a bit … went to town to get some food.”
“The house is clean, Mama,” she said, a biting edge to her voice.
Elizabeth glanced around the small space as if seeing it for the first time. “Huh,” she mumbled as she came into the kitchenette. “So it is.”
She stood on her tiptoes to retrieve a carton of cigarettes from on top of the refrigerator, and slid a new pack free. She eyed Micah and Jack as she opened it and pulled a slim, white cigarette loose. “Who’re your friends? The black one’s cute. Kind of intense and serious-looking, but still …”
“Mama!” Addison shot Jack an apologetic look, but she could see he was fighting back a laugh. “That’s Jackson, and he’s a friend of mine. This is Micah and he’s … well, he’s with Jack.”
“Of course, he is,” Elizabeth snapped, her gaze darting back and forth between her companions. Something about the way she looked at them made Addison uneasy. “They’re partners, right? Guardians always come in pairs.”
Jack wrinkled his eyebrows. “You know about Guardians?”
Elizabeth laughed as she used the gas range to light her cigarette. “Know about ’em?” She reached up to the collar of her robe with one hand. Pulling it, and the strap of her bra aside, she took a long draw on her
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