“Good night.” I felt a weird lump in my throat as I watched him go. William was stubborn…resolved. I’d already worked those things out about his personality. But he was a man, and he was obviously attracted to me. How long could he hold out? He wasn’t a superhuman, after all. I’d respect his wishes while secretly hoping he had a weak spot somewhere in there.
Alex entered from the kitchen moments after the door closed. She took one look at Heath spread out on the floor and said, “That doesn’t look comfortable. Can you do me a favor and grab the extra pillow off my bed? I’m gonna get a blanket for him.”
When I got back into the living room, she was crouched beside him, trying to roll him over. “Ugh, can you help me with this? I want to put him on his side in case he gets sick, but he’s so damn huge.”
Heath was at least six-four and extremely well built. He must have weighed two-fifty, at least. And Alex was a slight five-foot with a curvy build. I was taller, but stick thin. I had no idea how the two of us were going to move him, but somehow we managed.
“I’m exhausted,” I said, stifling a yawn. “And I have the regional market tomorrow. I’m hoping to make some decent money doing readings.”
“At twenty bucks a pop for fifteen minutes work, I’ll say! I’d do it too if my mom wouldn’t lose her shit about me playing with cartas del Diablo. Speaking of which…when do you start full-time at that? And when are you going to quit the refugee center? I bet they’re bummed you’re leaving.”
Yawning loudly, I didn’t meet her gaze when I said, “I’m about to pass out, cutie. Let’s chat tomorrow.”
I turned to go into my room, but Alex followed me inside. “They don’t know you’re leaving yet, do they?”
Reaching into my t-shirt, I unhooked my bra and pulled it out of my sleeves. “They will…soon.”
“Still don’t have the courage to break it to them?”
I shrugged. “They know I’m strapped for money and they can’t give me a raise. I don’t have the heart to even ask. They’ll understand when I tell them I have to move on.”
Alex cocked her head to the side. “It’s not just about the money, though, is it? Are you really feeling antsy to move on, or is this all just some weird philosophy of yours? It’s like you’re that lady in the movie Chocolat. She always went where the wind took her, too.”
I rolled my eyes. Romantic notions were Alex’s bread and butter. “We’ve been over this before. I do need the money so I can make it back to Maja’s wedding.”
“Hopefully with the tiara.”
My heart lurched. “Yeah, hopefully.”
“So how’s William coming along? Is he any closer to being able to win the big duel?”
I sighed. “He’s getting there, but I’m hoping to take him to another crowded place. Problem is, it needs to be something entertaining enough to entice him. I’m thinking the movies or...I don’t know.”
“Why not Disneyland? It’s five miles away.”
I sighed dreamily. “You know how much I love that place, but…I don’t have the funds to go to Disney right now.”
She shrugged. “That’s easy. I can still bum discount tickets off my former colleagues. I think you should go for it. After all, it is the happiest place on earth, right? Who could say no to that?”
Chapter 12
William
I shake my head as I grip the steering wheel tighter. “No,” I repeat.
“But it’s Disneyland! Who could say no to Disneyland?” Jenna asks.
“I just did.” I keep my eyes on the road and stop at the red light. Jenna is laughing, but I can’t tell if it’s at my answer or me. Maybe both.
“When was the last time you went?”
The memory of that visit flashes through my mind. I was six. My mother had started taking us for regular visits again but had insisted that she couldn’t handle me for long periods of time. Things had gone all right until that horrible trek through Adventureland.
We’d been walking very close to the Jungle Cruise ride when shots were fired—from a cap gun. I was terrified by the sudden loud noise and unequipped to overcome my fear. I couldn’t breathe, and when she tried to pull me along, I’d refused to walk, lying down on the ground while other park guests filed around me. I’d screamed and cried as she dragged me alongside her, cursing the entire time. Typically, when I had my episodes—my mom called them “meltdowns”—she became mean, yelling and calling me all the same things the kids at school called me.
“Why do you have to be such an idiot, Liam? I brought you and your sister here to have fun, and now you’re ruining it. Britt’s crying because of you. Stop it right now.”
“Hey.” Jenna puts her hand on my shoulder. “You okay?”
I tense and then shake my head. “I don’t have good memories of that place. Especially the Jungle Cruise.”
She turns and looks at me. “Well then, we could make some good memories. What about the Indiana Jones ride? Or the new version of Space Mountain? Were those there the last time you went?”
I shook my head. We’d never made it to Tomorrowland. My mother had called my dad and insisted he come get me. She’d spent the rest of the day there with Britt and hadn’t brought her home until the next day. I’ll never forget overhearing her telling my dad about how much fun they had together after I left. Or the words Britt said to me as she handed me candy that she’d bought with her very own spending money.
“I’m sorry, Liam. I wish you could have gone on more rides with me.”
I’d always wondered why my sister was sorry. My mother wasn’t.
She’d never tried to take me again after that, but continued to take Britt a few times a year. In fact, I was rarely invited over to my mother’s house, and when I was invited, it seldom happened. Dad had tried hard to make me feel better, saying those were special father-son days. But he’d never succeeded. The only thing I felt was broken…so broken not even my mother could love me.
“I’m sorry, Wil. Do you want to talk about it?”
I blink, surprised by the realization that I do want to talk about it. “I had a bad experience at Disneyland as a child. And then my mother…she took my sister there often, but not me.”