Safe and Sound(47)

“I…um…” was all she could get out.

His fingers gripped her shoulders. “Talk to me. Are you okay, Lola?”

Lola wordlessly nodded.

“Then?”

“Nothing. I…I’m just so happy to see you.” It was the truth.

Jack expelled a noisy breath. He looked away, nodded. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you.”

Lola’s stomach fluttered and what she was sure was a goofy smile covered her lips.

“I wasn’t sure the greeting I would get after what I told you last night.”

“Jack, you have no idea how unimportant what you told me last night is compared to everything else going on.”

“I don’t know if I should be offended or relieved.”

Lola smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. “You didn’t say goodbye when you left.”

“Sorry about that. You were finally sleeping. I didn’t want to wake you. And the nurses kicked me out.” Jack grabbed her hands and held them, eyes on her. “How’s your aunt treating you?”

Lola looked at the house; her house. “Good. I like her.”

“She seems decent.”

“She is.” Their eyes met.

“I’m glad.” Jack avoided her eyes as he said, “I have something for you.”

Lola gave him a curious look. “You do? What?”

He laughed and ran a hand through his hair. “It’s a surprise. Come on.”

“This isn’t going to be like last time you wanted me to do something and I met your sister that hates me, is it?”

“She doesn’t hate you. She just doesn’t know you. Isabelle doesn’t trust easily, which you can understand.”

“I do.”

She grabbed the hand he offered, following him around the house. He stopped beside an old beat up red Ford truck parked along the curb.

“Is this yours?”

He opened the driver’s side door and reached inside, the faint sickly sweet smell of farm wafting out. “Technically, it’s the farmer’s I work for, but he lets me drive it whenever I need to.”

“Does this farmer know? About your dad?”

“He suspects.” He paused. “I keep to myself, Lola. I do my work and keep my mouth shut. That’s the way I want it to be.”

There was an unspoken warning in his tone to not press. Lola didn’t.

Jack pulled his arm out, a 10 X 13 canvas in his hands. He held it facing him, eyes fixed on Lola’s face.

“This is for you.”

Lola took it from Jack with hands that shook, swallowing hard. Jack looked at the ground as she turned it around. Lola stared at it, overwhelmed.

It was Lola’s face in black and white. It was her from before. Lola’s eyes shone, her lips curved in a secret smile. He’d captured a part of her she’d lost. It was beautiful, perfect. She was better in the coal drawing, better in Jack’s eyes than she’d ever be in real life. The way he saw her…it was awe-inspiring and humbling.

“I don’t look like this,” she whispered, tears burning a trail down her cheeks.

“This is how I see you,” Jack answered quietly.

A sob escaped her and Lola turned away from Jack. He gently tugged the canvas out of her hands and pulled her toward him, his lips warm and firm against hers.

Jack’s body was tightly wound, his kiss passionate and consuming. Lola’s body responded and she kissed him back with all the feeling she had, wanting to show him what she couldn’t say.

Him. She loved him.

***

Lola went back to school after missing a week. People stared. She didn’t know if it was because of the stitches on her chin, the fading bruises on her face, or because they knew what had happened to her. Maybe it was all of those things.

She felt stupid, like a loser. Things like that were only supposed to happen to kids that asked for it, that were troublemakers and came from poor white trash families. Lola used to be that naïve at one point too and so very wrong. No longer.

One of the first people to approach her was Rachel. She didn’t stare at her, she didn’t even speak. Rachel grabbed Lola in a tight embrace.

Lola hugged her back, not realizing until then how very much she’d missed her friend. It overwhelmed her, made it hard for her to speak.

“Do you have to work tonight? If not, we’re hanging out. No excuses,” Rachel stated when she pulled away, wiping at her eyes.

“I don’t have to work. With everything going on, they said I could have a few weeks off.” Lola glanced around the emptying hallway. It seemed like everyone was watching them, but that couldn’t be.

“How did you…find out?”

Rachel picked at the hem of her black wrap around shirt, not looking at Lola. “Everyone knows. Not really sure how it got around, but it did. You know how people are.”