Free FUSE by Deborah Bladon Page B

yesterday?" He tilts his chin towards me.
    "I wanted to take her down to the Hudson so she could see the river. I thought it would give her a different perspective on the city."
    "Did she accuse you of being a cheap date?" The chuckle that accompanies the question is unmistakable.
    "She wouldn't even leave the sidewalk to walk towards it. She couldn’t move. I swear she looked like I'd asked her to commit a felony."
    I'm surprised by the lack of any readable reaction on his face. "You must have asked her about it, right?"
    I nod slowly. "I tried but she wanted out of there. She was in a cab and on her way home before I could get a word in."
    "Where do things stand now?" He motions towards my smartphone. "How is she when you talk to her on the phone?"
    I'm humiliated that I have to share this but I'm so far into this now that all of my shame has taken leave and left my body and the building. "She won't answer my texts or calls."
    "I met someone too."
    The quick change of subject is disorienting. It's so disorienting that all I can do is stare at him.
    "Her name is Lilly." He can't contain a smile. "That girl has been to hell and back. Shit. She's seen the worst anyone can see in the world."
    "I didn't know that," I confess. All I've heard about Lilly is that she's a tech guru too.
    "Your friend Zoe sounds a lot like Lilly." He pushes his hands against the edge of the table, forcing the wooden chair he's in to scrape along the floor. "Don't push her too hard or she'll shut you out. I almost lost Lilly when I did that."
    "How did you get her to open up?" I ask as he pulls himself to his feet.
    "I didn't. I pushed her into a corner and she pushed me back so hard it knocked the wind out of me. Give her time, Brighton. If she means anything to you, give her all the time and space she needs."

Chapter 17
    Z oe
    I'm humiliated. I don't know what I was thinking when Beck suggested that we go sit by the river to eat our hotdogs. It was a sweet gesture. The more I think about it, the more I realize that he was just trying to give me an experience I'll never forget. He wasn't pressuring me into divulging my deepest and darkest secrets. He wasn't pushing me to confess any sin to him. He wanted to take me to a beautiful spot so I could soak in the view of the Hudson River.
    I can't imagine why he still wants to talk to me. The man can spend time with any woman he chooses, yet he's still messaging me asking if I'm okay. I haven't responded because I can't honestly say that I am okay. I'm stuck back in that moment on the sidewalk when I dashed into the taxi so quickly I almost tripped.
    I hadn't turned to look back to where I abandoned him on the sidewalk because I didn't want the memory of that lingering in my mind forever. I'd cried in the taxi on the way home and then for hours in my bed after I'd pulled my clothes from my body. My past will never leave me. It's going to haunt me until the day I die, just as Tim said it would.
    I glance at the clock hanging over the bar and I quickly realize that I've only been at the pub for an hour. It's exhausting trying to keep a fake smile on my face while I engage in idle chitchat with the patrons. I can't keep trying to put on a brave face. It doesn’t hide the past. It only provides a temporary mask that the world sees. I know that now.
    "Zoe?" Elliott is behind me, his hand resting gently on my shoulder. "Are you feeling okay?"
    I turn and I'm instantly aware of the genuine concern in his face. I know, from what Bridget's shared with me, that he has a kind and compassionate soul. "I'm fine."
    "You look tired." He moves around me until he's facing me directly. "We're not that busy tonight. If you want to take off, you can."
    I want to do that more than anything, but I know how easily replaceable I am. This job is not my future but it's my present and the tips that I've been collecting are helping me save for school. I don't want to have to keep serving drinks when I start law school. I want a