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.” Manny clenched and unclenched his fists in tempo with his jaw.His skin glistened with beads of moisture that trailed down his brown neck.“Wh-what? What do you mean?” Celia fiddled with buttons at her throat.She needed air.Quick.Manny gave her open door a curt nod.“See for yourself.”Celia followed him onto the porch.He pointed at the tangled vehicles that now resembled a tossed glass-and-metal salad near the Montgomerys’ home at the end of the block.The smell of oil and gasoline dominated the air.Manny’s scooter lay in pieces.Her car sat cockeyed in a pile of excavated grass.Her heart clunked to her feet.The flower beds Amber worked so hard to maintain, mangled to death.Just like her son was going to be the next time she laid eyes on him.If he didn’t mangle himself first.A closer glance into the vehicle revealed an empty seat.The way the door hung open, Javier had obviously fled on foot, probably into the nearby woods.Her son had wrecked her one and only vehicle, not to mention Manny’s very expensive scooter and the Montgomerys’ fence.Sirens whined in the distance.Or maybe they were close and she was on the verge of passing out so they just seemed far away.Her world spun.She rested a hand on her porch rail for support.Celia stared at the wreck, feeling the heat of Manny’s glare on her.What could she do? What could she say?According to the livid look on his face? Nothing that would make a difference.Her body felt frozen, her mouth catatonic.Of all the people her teenage son could have plowed into…it had to be him.The man who liked her least and annoyed her most.Manny shifted his weight to place one hand on his lean hip.“Well?”Celia swallowed past the stricture in her throat.“We’ll pay for the damage.I’m very sorry.” The last words wobbled out, her voice fractured.Tears stung.“We’ll? We’ll pay?” Manny clenched his jaw.“Me.I will.” Obviously he thought it if were left up to Javier, he’d never get his money.Or maybe he didn’t think that at all, judging by frustration burgeoning on his face.Despicable, traitorous tears welled in her eyes.Celia thought compassion flickered on and off behind the angry smokescreen in Manny’s, which seemed suddenly darker.Lethal black, in fact.She knew she wasn’t imagining it when his rigid stance relaxed.It lasted three seconds before he turned to stone again.He stepped nose-to-nose with her.“If you take care of this for him, he’ll never learn his lesson.” His challenging tone and pointed gaze dared her to argue.She lifted her chin.“What’s that supposed to mean?”His eyes narrowed into slats.“As I said before, you’re way too easy on him discipline-wise.You stifle his more noble strengths, then wonder why he does what he does.You need to lighten up where it doesn’t matter and tighten up where it does.”Just where did he get off? Her anger notched up defensively.“How dare you give me advice on raising my kid when you don’t have any of your—Oh!” Celia clamped hands over her mouth the second she remembered.Too late.Claws of dread clutched her shoulders.Manny stiffened as if he’d been shot.He stared at her mouth as if white phosphorous, which incinerated everything within a thousand-foot radius, spewed from it.The profound hurt that flashed over his face lanced her heart with sincere regret.Remorse pushed Celia forward to place a hand on his forearm.He stepped back.Rage simmered in his eyes.He shook his head slowly, glaring deeply, signaling it was not okay to get close.Not okay what she said.Not okay.Period.“I—Manny—I’m so sorry.That was a horrible thing for me to say.” She swallowed, voice warbling.“I know that you had a son because Joel told me about the drowning that led to your divorce and subsequently your wife’s overdose—”His hand halted her words.“Save it.” His tone remained menacing, his glare icy.He turned to leave.She feared the hand rungs on his crutches would splinter the way he gripped them with white-knuckled fists.Celia watched his retreat, desperate to make amends.She waved her arms and hurried after Manny.“Wait!”Please don’t go.Don’t leave mad.Joseph left mad and never came home.“Wait! Manny! Wait.Please.” She grasped for his back.He half turned his torso…out of her reach.Her mind reeled, clamored, clawed for something substantial to say.Anything to keep him here, make him talk.Keep him safe.What could she say? What could she say to make him stay?She swallowed bile.“What…what about the accident?” Her lips trembled but there was no help for it.“What about it?” He tossed the angry, despondent words over his shoulder and stalked away, leaving her to stare first at his retreating back.Then into the shattered windshield of her car, and to wonder where her son had run off to.Her husband had died because the only person who could help him left the crime scene.And her son had just fled the scene of an accident.She’d raised him to ruin.Now she’d irrevocably shattered her friendship with Manny.“What have I done?” Celia breathed the prayer, dreading the answer.She knew exactly what.Open mouth—insert shoe store.She’d unleashed lethal words, wounding another human being.Again.She’d pounded another mallet into the already-present wedge between her and the only man her son had looked up to since his father died.She slid to the curb.She swallowed back a sob and dropped her chin to her chest.“God, I’m sorry.Half my sin would cease if I’d super-glue my mouth shut.I am acutely ashamed of myself.Manny doesn’t know You as well as I do.It’s going to take a miracle to get him to forgive me.Please, help me learn to control my tongue if it’s the last thing I do.”When police arrived, Celia stood and filled out reports in a half daze while officers scoured the neighborhood woods for Javier.Her son.The fugitive.About ten minutes later, Manny ambled back up on his crutches and filled out his part of the report, never once looking at her.The stubborn set to his jaw told her what she didn’t want to know.He’d retained his fury.When the officers asked if he wanted to press charges, Manny looked briefly at Celia.“I’ll talk it over with his mother and get back with you.” Disdain coated his words.The police left to help search for Javier, and Celia lowered herself to the steps.Manny towered over her.Or it seemed so until she looked up and saw something other than rage in his face.What, she couldn’t be sure.Pity? How she’d hate that.As if sensing her unease, he raised up, putting space between them.The hover of silence unnerved her.She chanced a peek at him.“What are you going to do?” It came out like a croak.“Depends on you.” His stance softened, but deep hurt still abided in his eyes.How she wished she could rewind time and snatch back her earlier words.Story of her life.It was clear he beat himself up enough over his son’s death without having someone rub his nose in it.She fought to keep her voice from quavering.“Obviously you have some idea of how this should go.” She licked her lips, dry from anxiety of how she was going to pay for the fence and that scooter.She knew that brand ran several thousand dollars, and couldn’t afford her insurance premiums to go up.“I want you to agree to let him work for me and Joel to pay it off.Promise me you won’t bail him out.Not even a dime.In turn, we won’t press charges for damages.”“Okay.” What choice did she have? Manny was being more than fair.She doubted the officers would make a permanent stain on Javier’s record, either.They’d scare him to death and make him think so, but out of respect for their former colleague, they’d have mercy, even when Javier didn’t deserve it.Like her Heavenly Father.Her phone chimed [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]