“How do you like New Orleans so far?”
“I love trying new foods and I love seafood, so New Orleans is perfect for me.” A flush went up my neck to my face from a combination of the spicy food and my words. I didn’t want him to think I meant that he was perfect for me, because he wasn’t. But I couldn’t deny he was a big reason I was enjoying myself here despite his sometimes prickly exterior.
He studied me for a few seconds before taking another bite of his food.
Despite Gabe’s initial misjudgments of me, he’d gotten one thing right—I was a spoiled princess for leaving my family who needed me. I’d shirked my responsibilities so I could be free in a way I’d never experienced and likely wouldn’t experience once my parents were too old to care for Caleb. The guilt never faded from my consciousness—it was ever-present even when I’d lived at home.
As a teen, I’d turned down invitations to parties and outings. I didn’t play sports. My parents had enough going on without chauffeuring me to after-school activities. I’d stayed home while attending college and law school. It made meeting men difficult and I hadn’t bothered since that relationship in law school when my boyfriend was annoyed that so much of my time was dedicated to Caleb.
Would I ever be free to choose my own future, or would my brother’s needs always come first? I loved him. I would do anything for him. So this adventure was just that—a brief reprieve from the rest of my life.
Chapter Seven
GABE
After lunch with Taylor, I parted ways with her at the bar. We both needed to go back to work. Showing Taylor New Orleans was a nice distraction from my life working long hours at the bar and helping Zach in the evenings with his homework. And I knew the reason for that. Taylor was young, early to mid-twenties to my thirty years, and she didn’t have any responsibilities. She was a nice break from my life, but we could never be anything more.
I ended up working later than I intended before heading home to check in on Zach. When I arrived he wasn’t waiting by my door. I’d never met his mother and I didn’t want her to know I was helping Zach, but at the same time I wanted to make sure he was okay. I knocked on the door to his apartment, which was directly across from mine. I held my breath hoping his mother wouldn’t answer and demand to know how I knew Zach. I didn’t think many moms would be happy with a man showing interest in their child—even one who was neglectful like Zach’s mom appeared to be.
Not hearing any sounds from the apartment, I carefully tried the knob, which was locked. I had no right to enter or any reason to think they were in danger, but Zach was always waiting for me at my door. He didn’t have a cell phone so I couldn’t call him. I ran my fingers through my hair as I returned to my apartment. I needed to make something for dinner in case Zach was late, but I couldn’t stop pacing my apartment thinking of worst-case scenarios. That he’d gotten into trouble or been arrested. That he’d been beat up and he was lying on the street by himself.
I grabbed my keys, determined to walk the neighborhood until I found him, when there was a knock at the door. I jerked it open to find him standing on the other side with a black eye. I looked both ways down the hall before pulling him inside. “What happened to you? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, just some kids from school.” His eyes were on the floor as I tried to assess whether he was telling me the truth.
I grabbed a bag of peas from the freezer and handed it to him as he slouched onto my couch. I was relieved he was here but scared he’d gotten into something he couldn’t handle. “Why did they beat you up?”
“They give me a hard time. Nothing new.”
“Zach, tell me what happened,” I said firmly.
Zach’s shoulders slumped. “They caught me studying in the library, so they gave me a hard time.”
That’s right. When we’d first met, he’d mentioned how it wasn’t cool to study at his school. That he had to hide his books and pretend not to care. I didn’t want him to give up though. “I’m sorry, man. That sucks.” When he was silent, I continued, “I know it’s hard. Just keep doing what you're doing. After graduation things will get better. You can go to tech school or college and get a job. You just got to stick with it for a while longer. They’ll probably drop out soon.”
“I hope so.” Zach muttered. “Don’t forget my mom wants me to quit.”
“That’s not happening. We’ll figure something out.” The worst thing he could do was walk away from his diploma.
“You can’t help me.” Zach’s voice was resigned.
I waited until he looked at me and said firmly, “I will.”
I knew he hadn’t heard many promises in his life or if he did they probably weren’t kept. I knew what it was like to grow up without hope for anything better. I couldn’t let him quit. I’d figure something out.
Could Taylor help? Would she have any ideas? No, she was too naïve. She had no idea what it was like to grow up the way we did. I couldn’t talk to her. There was still this fear in the back of my mind that she’d go to family services.
“Are you hungry?” I reverted to our best method of communication. Keeping him fed. He could count on me for that. I
