Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 94512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
“He read me the riot act and then gave me five minutes to decide whether or not to let him drive me here.”
Liza blinked back tears. “You came.”
“He pretty emphatically told me not to do it for you but for myself. But I have to say, the man loves you, Liza Lou.”
She shook her head hard, not wanting to hear those words, refusing to believe in fantasies ever again. “Dare’s got a lot of his own guilt over Stuart Rossman. He lives to do the right thing now. Helping you was his way of making sure he did right by me to the end. That’s all.”
“Hey. I’m the one in denial in this family, not you.” Brian lifted her chin with his hand. “It’s no secret I hate cops, right?”
She managed a smile. “Right.”
“But this is me telling you the guy’s okay. And he loves you. He told me so.”
“But—”
“No buts. You’re going to need someone to lean on while I’m in here.”
She touched his cheek. “I’ve been on my own for a long time. I’ll be fine.” But her mind was reeling from the fact that Dare had not only found Brian but taken care of him.
For himself? Or did his feelings for her play a role, as her brother believed. And even if she allowed herself to trust what her brother said, just because Dare loved her—and her heart sped up at the possibility—didn’t mean he could accept who and what her brother was.
When Liza closed her eyes at night, she remembered his harsh words, heard the anger and hatred in his voice. Love? Not hardly, she thought. But she knew him, and by now he was, as Cara said, probably kicking himself for turning on her. She could forgive him for that night, but she didn’t expect anything more from him.
“How long are you here for?” she asked Brian.
“I don’t know. There’s an evaluation period and treatment plans. I put your name down on my forms. You can call, and they’ll give you whatever information you want or need.” He drew a deep breath. “I’m going to try my best, Liza Lou.”
She smiled. “That’s all anyone can do.” And it was so much more than she’d had to hold on to a few short hours ago.
It was what she needed to do. When she left here, she’d gather the same strength her brother had shown and go on with her life.
“How will you pay for this?” she asked, knowing from the look of the place that it was a high-end facility. “I can—”
“No.” He barked out the word. “I’m sorry. No. Thank you. You’ve done enough for me. Because of me. I called Mom and Dad. They’re footing the bill for this.”
Liza exhaled hard. “Wow. Okay, then.”
“And they’re sending you a check for the money you laid out. If the police recover the money from the loan shark, you can repay them. If not…Don’t worry about it.”
She had to be hearing things. “Brian…”
“I told them everything. What I’ve done, how I stole from the business, put you in danger, and hurt you. And before you ask, it doesn’t matter what they think or feel. They are who they are.”
She nodded at that.
Brian touched her hand. “In other words, they suck as your parents, but they’re doing what I asked. And you’ll cash that check. For me.”
Liza blinked, but the tears fell anyway. “I love you, Brian.”
“Me too.”
“Then get better, okay?” She wrapped her arms around him tight.
“You won’t be able to visit me for a while,” he whispered in her ear.
Throat clogged, she nodded. “But I can call for updates? They’ll talk to me?”
“I promise.”
It wasn’t easy, but she let him go and watched him walk away. Someone, a nurse maybe, met him outside the door to take him back to his room.
Her chest hurt, her eyes burned, and she prayed he possessed the strength to get through this and make it on the outside. Time would tell, but this was an unexpected yet unbelievably good first step.
And for that, she owed Dare her thanks.
Alone in the dark, Liza walked to her car, leaving the rehab center and her brother behind. Summer heat and humidity surrounded her as did a mixture of relief for her brother and a sense of purpose for herself.
She might be as alone as she was before, but she wasn’t the same person as a few short weeks ago. She looked at her life, taking stock. She’d miss her brother. Even when Brian had been drinking and out of control, he’d still been in her world, the one person with whom she felt truly connected. And as for friends? She’d claimed to have them in the city but hadn’t spoken to the girls in a while. They had no idea what was going on in her life. How could she call them friends and claim it was enough anymore?