Page 24 of When You Stayed
I sniffed as she made her way closer. She turned on my side lamp, which had a pink sheer sheet over it, casting my bedroom into low-lit ambience.
“Who did this to you?” She stroked over my head, where my hair was tucked inside of a hoodie. She knew when I wore the heated onesie with a hood that I was battling insecurity and heartbreak.
My sister looked like an angel as I stared up into her blue eyes.
“You’re going to laugh as soon as I say it,” I confessed with a swipe at my nose.
Her dark brows crumpled as she began rubbing my back. “Ford Ryan is the only other boy besides your boyfriend who ever made you cry. Did he do this?”
Was that true? Had Ford been like this our entire lives?
“I was trying to piss him off by going down to the club. I didn’t tell you everything the other day about Rodney. He told me that as long as things with the club didn’t change for three months, I could become manager, but if they do change, then I can’t have the promotion. So, I went down to the club, trying to ensure that there was no change in leadership.”
Taryn’s face soured. “That fucking asshole.”
“I tried to talk Mom and Callie into dissuading Dad and Wes from?—”
My sister interrupted me with a groan. “Royce, you didn’t.”
Defensiveness clouded my chest like a storm. “What else was I supposed to do?”
Taryn let out a heavy sigh, then pushed my hair back again. Sometimes it felt like she was the older sister, not me. She was so sure of herself and independent. She wasn’t afraid to chase her dreams even if it meant she might not catch them. I couldn’t fathom the idea of not having something I worked for. But Ford was right…every single day people didn’t have the luxury of living out the life they wanted to live. Every day people got passed over for jobs they were more than qualified for. It being a dream of theirs didn’t really make a difference one way or another.
“You were supposed to tell me the whole story. I would have thought of a new plan with you.”
I frowned up at my sister. “Where have you been, T? It’s been almost five days. I’ve been a pathetic mess for a week.”
Taryn plucked my bag of Cheetos from my chest and began shoving the wadded Kleenex into my trash bin. “I’m sorry, Royce. I did a branding shoot up near DC. I thought I texted you.”
Shaking my head, I sniffed again. “It’s okay. Tell me about this plan that you have.”
“Well, I would have found a way to blackmail Rodney, so he had no choice but to give you that promotion. He’s essentially doing the same thing to you, Royce. Ever wonder why three months was significant to him?”
No, I hadn’t.
Sitting up and adjusting my hood so it fell back, I asked, “So you think Rodney knows something, or might be working with someone?”
“Yes, I do. Think about it.” She adjusted herself onto my bed, so she was sitting hip to hip with me. “He’s had the oldest daughter ofthe Wolfworking right under him all this time. The Stone Riders are still a big deal all these years later, and Dad has certainly made a name for himself. It’s leverage he could have used in a number of different ways, but if he needs there to be no change in leadership for three months, then perhaps there’s someone else who’s asking for that.”
I stared ahead, completely baffled by her thought process. “Ever consider taking over for Dad down at the club?”
She laughed, but it was a sad laugh, and I wasn’t sure why. I wanted to ask her, but she moved on too quickly.
“Tell me what Ford said.”
I didn’t want to jump back into it. The pricks that had landed in my chest from his words were still so painful, but my sister needed to know. She knew everything about me, including the tiny crush I had on him when I was younger.
“Do you remember that modeling shoot I did for that underwear brand, CozyCo?”
She tipped her head back remembering, then let out a chuckle. “Yeah, they gave you a bunch of free underwear as payment or something, right?”
A flush of embarrassment hit me. “Hey, nice underwear is expensive. They paid me in over four thousand dollars’ worth of clothing. I know because I price-checked each item on their website. I got lingerie, swimsuits, and pajamas. It was a great deal.”
My sister tugged a Cheeto out and popped it into her mouth. “You know what, you’re right. That was actually a good deal. I bought a bra the other day, and it was like eighty dollars. Which is insane, right?”
That brought me back to what Ford had said. “Well, that smallvideo clip of me showing that pink piece…it somehow got posted like everywhere.”
“They’re probably trying to push the line again or something,” Taryn muttered, picking out another long, orange piece.
