Free Secrets in the Shadows by T. L. Haddix Page A

either. Hell, this is my house, so I guess I’m doubly damned.”
Jamie came out onto the porch, pulling an obviously reluctant Margie behind him. Travis stood up so fast that the stool flew backward, tumbling down the steps to the stepping stones in the grass below.
“What the hell do you want? I was just starting to relax with Gary. You know Gary, right?”
Lauren was shocked, both at her cousin’s tone and her appearance. Margie’s neck was splotchy with hickeys, and her blouse was halfway unbuttoned.
Margie didn’t seem to notice and stood staring up at Travis, who had gone rigid. He stared back at her for several long moments before turning to Lauren. His fists clenched. A muscle ticked in his jaw.
“You need to go now.” His voice was soft and dangerous.
Lauren could tell that he was holding on to his temper by a strand, and she nodded in agreement. Standing, she edged around him, tugging her cousin’s arm. “Come on, Mar, we need to get home.”
Margie shook her off, sneering. Lauren could smell the alcohol on her breath as she spoke.
“I don’t want to go home, Miss Priss.” The words caused Lauren to draw in a sharp breath. “I’m staying right here.” Margie glowered at Travis, as if silently daring him to challenge her.
Seeing Travis’s face turn red, Lauren yanked on Margie’s arm. When her cousin turned to see what she wanted, Lauren hauled back and slapped her with all the force she could muster.
Margie raised her hand to her face and stared at Lauren, unable to speak.
“You listen to me, Margie Vernon, and listen very carefully. I am going home. With or without you in that car beside me. If I have to explain to your parents why you aren’t with me when I get back there, so be it, but I am not staying here any longer!” She turned to Travis, who eyed her with some measure of respect. “Thank you for rescuing me. I’m sorry we caused you trouble. Will you call her a cab and send her home if she doesn’t go with me?”
“I will.”
Margie pushed past both of them, fighting tears. “That won’t be necessary. I’ll go with Lauren.” She stumbled down the steps into the dark, heading in the direction of the car.
“Jamie, escort them to their car. Drive safely,” Travis told Lauren.
Lauren still wasn’t sure how they managed to get home that evening without Margie’s parents becoming aware of her drunken condition, but somehow they’d done it. Margie apologized profusely the next day, and Lauren made her swear to tell her what was going on, but it never happened. The following night, Margie was gone, and things had never been the same since.
Thinking back on that party, Lauren looked across the table at Travis. “Just in case I never properly expressed it, I really, really appreciated you stepping in that night.”
“I’m sorry I had to. She never should have brought you out there.” Sighing, he changed the subject. “Now that I’ve depressed the hell out of you, how ’bout we move on to something else?”
“That sounds nice. What?”
“Oh, I don’t know. How about dinner? You, me, a nice restaurant, some good food. How’s that sound?”
Lauren hesitated. “I don’t know. I think it would feel a little weird.” She looked up and noticed Charlie coming through the door. She waved at him and stood. “I have to go.”
Travis stood as well, and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a business card and handed it to her. “Call me if you change your mind. Sometimes having someone to talk to who shares your past can help. I get the feeling you have as many ghosts from that summer as I do.” He walked around the table and bent down, kissing her cheek. “Take care.”
She watched him go, then gave herself a shake and headed to the register to help get Charlie’s order ready.
Janet, who had come out of the kitchen, laughed at something Charlie said. “I’ll get your order boxes from the back.”
He called after her. “You need some help with that?”
“No, I’ve got it,