TWISTED FATE (Twisted Path Book 1)

Chapter 8

Becca

How is this my life? It's like I've been thrust into an alternate reality where up is down and left is right. A strange world where Shane Montgomery almost feels like a friend and someone I can trust. What he's done for me today is not only unexpected but surprisingly appreciated. It worries me immensely.

There was a time when I relied on being taken care of like this. A time when I had people I trusted to help me navigate life's struggles. I appreciated having them and not once did I take them for granted, but then I woke up one day to discover that the amazing life they'd created for me was nothing but a lie.

A lifetime of lies, in fact.

The family I loved, whom I trusted with my whole heart and who I thought loved me back, did so out of pure selfishness. Their love, their sacrifice—they did those things not because they loved me specifically, but the idea of me. Because if they had truly loved me, the way a parent should love a child, they never would have helped my mother's rapist conspire to steal me away from her in the first place.

It's why I know better than to trust this warm feeling settling over me like a weighted blanket. It's a mirage of sorts. A false sense of safety, of security. Two things that can easily be stripped away, especially when they're dependent on trusting others to have your back. Since that horrible day when I realized love could be selfish, I vowed to never again rely on others to provide the safety and security I need to thrive. So, as much as I appreciate what Shane is doing, I can't allow it to continue. I know my weakness, and the longer I let this go on, the higher the likelihood I'll grow dependent on yet another person who will someday rip out my heart and send my life back into upheaval.

Logically, I know what I have to do, but as I watch him work my tables with the camaraderie and grace of someone meant to lead movements rather than be a lowly waiter, I'm filled with something akin to infatuation. It's crazy and downright stupid, but there's something about Shane Montgomery that sends those butterflies in my belly fluttering into a frenzy.

"Well, it was an absolute pleasure getting to know you this evening. Any way I could convince you to stay a little longer? Maybe I could entice you with a decadent cup of coffee, or how about a warm slice of Aunt Rosie's delectable apple pie?" And just like that, he nails himself another upsell. The ease with which he convinces customers to order appetizers, desserts, or even coffee with very little effort is like nothing I've ever seen. Whether it's his easy smiles or his quick-witted banter, one thing is certain—the customers love him.

"How's it going over here, pretty girl? Getting lots done, I hope." He smiles at me as he brings yet another refill of my favorite orange soda.

"You don't need to keep checking up on me. I'm not a customer."

"You think I'm..." he throws his head back and lets out a hardy laugh that makes my stomach swoop. "I'm not taking care of you because you're a customer; I'm taking care of you because I want to. Because you deserve it."

Because I deserve it?

I have little time to dwell on what he's just said, for at that moment Shane's friends appear. The bell over the door signals their arrival, as the dining room falls silent—probably from shock that the golden spawn of Ruby Creek's finest are gracing us with their presence. In the next breath, whispers break through the oppressive quiet, a sure sign everyone is wondering what the four children of the three most powerful families in our small town are doing in our little diner.

"Uh, I think your friends are looking for you." At the sight of the legitimate children of my mother's rapist, and secret half-siblings—Nicholas and Amanda Kline—the butterflies fluttering in my stomach die a quick death. Since discovering the truth of how we're related, being in their presence is a dark reminder that my entire life has been a twisted merry-go-round of deceit and lies. Taking in their miserable expressions, for the first time, I wonder if we have that in common. Perhaps they are aware all isn't as it seems, and their life feels like a lie, much the same as mine.