Page 22 of Sainte
She looks up at me, and in just above a whisper, she says, “Yes.”
I sit there for a moment and think. I promised Ice I would handle this, but where do you draw the line between what your heart and your head tell you to do? If I give it back to her, I’m no better than the pusher she gave the blow job. I know the right thing to do. I should flush it. I also know that by flushing it, it will help her. But then she will hate me.She already hates you.
I get up from the bed, and she watches me closely. I walk into the bathroom.
“Sainte, please,” she begs.
I pause at the toilet.
“Sainte, please.”
I dump the bag in the toilet and flush, then walk out of the bathroom.
“I fucking hate you!” she yells.
“Yeah, tell me something I don’t know.” I turn and walk out of her room. I hear her crying as I walk down the hall. It breaks my heart, and I want to go in there and comfort her. I want to hold her, but I can’t. Tough love, Ice said, and he’s right.
When I get downstairs, I see Ice walking in the door. “Hey,” I say as I take a seat at the bar where I left my coffee.
He sits in the chair next to me. “Anything goin’ on?”
I smirk. “You don’t wanna know.”
“What?”
“We’ll talk later.” I look around to see if Honey came down, but she’s not around. I still don’t want to take any chances. I want her to think Ice is oblivious to her using for now. “Where’s Emma?”
He shrugs. “Yesterday was a bit much for her. She wanted to stay home and get some work done.” He’s got me worried now.
“Is she okay?”
“Yeah, she’s fine, just tired.” He heads into the kitchen and returns to his seat a few minutes later with a hot cup of coffee.
“Did you hear the kid’s heartbeat?”
He smiles. “Yeah, but I can’t wait to see it myself.” He takes a sip of his coffee. “Emma has a snapshot I’m sure she’s shown everyone, but I’m telling you, it looks like a blob on that thing. I want to see it live and moving on the screen.” Ice had been in Ireland during her last ultrasound and missed the appointment. He was mad as hell for missing it too. He has yet to see his kid, and I know it’s killing him.
“Please tell me you didn’t tell Emma that you think your kid looks like a blob.”
He laughs. “Are you kidding? If I did, I wouldn’t be standing here in one piece right now.”
We both laugh.
We shoot the shit for a couple minutes until Honey comes down the stairs. She’s got her purse and her keys. “Where ya goin’? I ask.
“Well, if it is any of your business, I have an appointment this morning.”
“Appointment?” I ask. “Where?”
“Aren’t we nosy this morning?” She digs around in her purse and pulls out a tube of lipstick. She puts some on as Ice and I patiently wait for her to tell us where she’s going. When she realizes we both expect her to answer, she throws the tube of lipstick in her purse and says, “It’s for a massage. Happy now?”
“Why would you pay money for a massage? I could do it for free,” I say teasingly.
She turns without a word and stomps out the door.
I turn toward Ice. “Gotta go.”
He gives me a knowing look. I grab the keys to my bike and head out. Honey is pulling out of the parking lot when I get outside. I run to my bike, start it up, and pull out right behind her.
