Unfortunately, there was no wiping Brad clean. I had a feeling his imprint would remain on my psyche, like a fly smudged by windshield wipers leaving streaks of what was left behind.
There was more to my story, but I decided not to finish it.
When I’d gotten Brad’s text, my first instinct had been to go to Ransom, not my dad. And Ransom had come immediately. Maybe with that kind of backup, I could face this. I wouldn’t ask anyone to fight my battles for me, but there was definitely something appealing about knowing people had my back if things went to shit. And really, what did I actually have to fear? Brad had never been violent. I could handle him.
So I attempted to assuage my dad by lying. “Brad already graduated. The campus just holds…bad memories. I’d feel better if I could just be done with it.”
“I don’t want him to get away with how he treated you though, Taylor.”
“I appreciate that. But I honestly think it would do more harm than good to have to dredge all that up again. I just want to move on.”
“Well…all right…I guess.” He sounded like it was very much not all right, but I was glad he wasn’t going to fight me on it.
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Do you need anything else? Money? You can come home and stay if you want.”
Maybe it was petty, but I didn’t want anything from him.
“No, I’m fine. Really.”
“Okay, if you’re sure…”
“I am.”
“Maybe we can go to dinner sometime soon? Just the two of us.”
It was an olive branch, and I wasn’t going to punish us both by refusing it. I didn’t want to have a bad relationship with my dad. He and I had never fought like that before, and being upset with him was draining.
“Sure. I’d like that.”
“Great. I’m away on business next week, but I’ll call you when I get back to set something up.”
“Looking forward to it.”
He paused for a second before speaking again. “I love you, Taylor.”
I’d never doubted it. “I love you too, Dad.”
We hung up, and I gave myself a moment to get my head together. The talk with my dad hammered home for me how much I still needed to grow up—learn to fight my own battles. I couldn’t rely on other people to swoop in and save me. While I trusted my friends to be there for me when I needed them, I didn’t want to need them for this. Brad was a sickness, and I desperately wanted to stop the spread.
With at least a few things decided, I stood and took a steadying breath before leaving my room and rejoining Ransom in the living room. I threw myself beside him and concentrated on the TV.
“All done. My dad’s going to take care of it.”
“That’s a relief, right?”
I shot him a quick glance before refocusing on the television. “Absolutely.”
Chapter Nineteen
R A N S O M
I walked into Safe Haven later that night so I could be there for the after-care program like I’d promised Harry. He’d said he could stay, but the guy worked pretty damn hard already. I didn’t want to add to his plate.
I swung by his office, popping only my head inside. “Hey, Harry. Just wanted to let you know I was here. The kids already in the gym?”
He jerked his head up and looked at me with red-rimmed eyes and a sallow expression as he frantically pushed papers around his desk and threw a few things into his satchel.
“Oh, Ransom, hi. Thanks.”
He went back to his task, his movements jerky and harried. He looked about two steps away from a panic attack. And man, I’d had my fill of those for a few days at least.
Despite that, I still felt torn about what to do. Though Harry and I were friendly, we weren’t actual friends. His problems were none of my business. But he was a good guy, and I wanted to help him if I could.
“Hey, uh. Harry? You okay, man?”
He looked up at me again before pulling off his glasses, tossing them on the mound of papers on his desk, and rubbing his eyes.
“Sorry, uh, I just got off the phone with Justin. His dad had a heart attack. His mom isn’t sure… It looks bad. We’re heading up there as soon as I get home.”
“Oh, shit. Harry, I’m so sorry.” I knew from conversations over the past year that Harry was close with his in-laws. “What can I do?”
“I don’t… God, this is such a mess. I’m going to have to be out for a while. I’ve already contacted Stacey. She’ll step in in the interim, but could you help her out? It’s been a while since she filled in over here.”
Stacey was one of the community center directors. She spent most of her time dealing with funding and program implementation for high school kids and adults during the school year, but she worked closely with Harry for the summer camps. They often covered for one another when necessary.
“Yeah, sure. No problem,” I assured him.
“Great, thanks.” He grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair and gave his office one more cursory glance before heading for the door.
I stepped back to let him through, but he stopped suddenly in the doorway as his phone started ringing.
He answered it immediately. “Hi, babe. I’m on my way. Oh. Shit,” he hissed, grimacing so hard I thought he’d hurt himself somehow. “It’s okay, we’ll figure it out. Did Paul have any recommendations for other dog sitters?”
Justin said something on the other line I couldn’t hear, but whatever
