Your Echo by Vi Summers

Author:Vi Summers
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Small-town romance, Second-chance romance, Steamy romance, Steamy romance series, Slow burn romance, He falls first, New town romance
Publisher: Vi Summers
Published: 2023-05-23T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 24

—Banks—

I stormed over to Tommie and slapped a large stack of bills on the reception desk. The ban stung my ego; I’d been coming here for years.

“That security footage doesn’t go anywhere,” I stated.

His graying eyebrows lifted, and he eyed me for the longest time before setting his hand over the cash. “Your money won’t buy my morals, Gatlin.”

I pointed at the cash under his palm. “Call it an apology, then.”

Sucking in a breath, he straightened and dragged the money his way. “I wouldn’t have disseminated the footage anyway. Me taking this is not you buying me off, and you’re both still permanently banned,” he stated, folding the bills in half and tucking them into the front pocket of his jeans.

I acknowledged him with a curt nod. “Good, because I’m not in the business of buying people off.” I balled one fist on the counter while waving the other toward the smash rooms. “What happened in there was a woman struggling to keep her head above water. She’s beyond her breaking point and needs all the support she can get. She’s fighting an invisible army that most of us can keep hidden from the world, and while what you saw on camera was confronting as hell, I hope that even just the tiniest part of her broke free from the chains today.”

Tommie visibly gulped. “I’m sorry. I had no idea.”

“People come here for a reason and sometimes it’s not just for fun.” I lightly thumped my fist on the counter, then stepped back.

Having made my point, I nodded one last time before pushing through the exit door.

All my annoyance over being booted and banned faded the instant I set eyes on Simone sitting in my passenger seat, worrying her lower lip with her teeth.

I held her gaze as I rounded the hood, then asked, “How you doin’?” as I climbed behind the wheel.

She studied me hard, eyes flicking between mine and searching relentlessly. “I should be asking you the same.”

Reaching for her hand, I squeezed in reassurance. “You don’t need to worry about me. I’m a big boy who can take care of himself.”

Her frown didn’t ease like I expected. “I am worried about you. Yesterday you lost someone who was obviously an important part of your life. No matter how close they were to you, you’re grieving.”

“You sound like you know what you’re talking about,” I drawled.

Simone smiled softly at my attempted joke. “Just a little.”

A beat passed where she dropped her eyes to our linked hands. Her thumb made stroking motions across my knuckles, pulling my new heart closer to the edge where I’d ultimately fall head over heels for her.

“I saw that you’d been crying,” she murmured.

There was no denying it, so I freely admitted that vulnerability. “I had been. Partly for Hilary’s death, and partly for Mom. She’s so cut up, and I don’t know how to fix that. Dad must be going out of his mind.”

Simone’s squeeze on my fingers tightened. “It’s not for you to fix because you can’t.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.