The Bridge Between Us: A Contemporary Christian Novel (Road to Refuge Book 3) by Victoria Bylin

Author:Victoria Bylin [Bylin, Victoria]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-08-01T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

“Hey,” Tim said to Haylee when he reached her table. Nervous, he glanced at the other girls and realized he was still wearing the dress pants and navy blazer his mom had bought for court. He looked like an idiot. Or maybe not. Maybe Haylee would think he looked cool.

“Hey, yourself,” she said with a smile.

While he greeted her friends, she looked over at his mom and Jesse. Tim could think his father’s name now, but he couldn’t say it out loud without getting a bad taste in his mouth. That probably wasn’t fair, since Jesse was paying for the attorney and acting like it wasn’t a big deal. His mom had been pretty cool, too. She hadn’t lectured him even once, though he knew he had it coming.

Haylee’s gaze shifted back to him. “Why are you all dressed up?”

“Long story.”

The other girls at the table were listening, and he didn’t want to explain about the fire and being in court. Fresh anger at Carter shot through his veins, reminding him of the reason he was standing next to Haylee.

“Could I talk to you a minute?” He angled his head toward a table away from her friends.

“Sure.” She picked up her drink and the bag of Cinnamon Twists, followed him to a booth for two, and slid into the seat. “So what’s up? I didn’t think you’d still be in Refuge.”

“Yeah,” he tried to sound tough, but his insides were jumping like crazy. All morning he’d been holding in his anger, the guilt and shame, the awkwardness of his mom liking Jesse. And worst of all, the fear that he’d ruined his life.

Leaning in, Haylee spoke in a near whisper. “You look upset. Are you all right?”

“Maybe.”

“That’s a strange answer. Those are your parents, aren’t they?”

“Yeah.” If he didn’t talk to someone, his head would explode. “I don’t even know where to start.”

A million questions flashed in her eyes, but he also saw genuine concern. “Was it weird meeting your dad?”

“Yes. No. Oh, man.” Slumping back, he blurted the worst of it. “I got arrested.”

“Arrested? What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything.” A lie. If he was going to be a decent guy, he needed to tell the truth. “Wait. That’s not true. I went along with it.”

“With what?”

“Carter set a dumpster on fire at my mom’s hotel. I should have told him no. I should have—” Tim shook his head. “I was so stupid. When we heard sirens, Carter jumped in the car and took off. He left me there to take the blame.”

Haylee studied his face, her brow furrowed and mouth tight. Ashamed, he hung his head and waited for her to walk away.

Instead, she kicked him in the shin. “Hey. Look up.”

Startled, he met her gaze. Her eyes were big and light brown, the color of the dirt on the track at school. Not that he’d say that out loud. Dirt wasn’t the right thing to say about a girl’s eyes.

Hands planted on the seat, she leaned forward again.

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