An Unlocked Mind (Secrets #2)(30)

The words were like cold water. Rob had no idea he could be so desperate to hold on to something, but…. “I’m not going to be able to come back again,” he reminded Vic.

Vic touched his tablet and brought the screen to life. He slid it across the table toward Rob.

Utterly confused, Rob scanned the document on the screen. “What’s this?”

“It’s an e-voucher for travel on Virgin Trains. You can use it to pay for more trips.”

Rob blinked. Blinked again.

Vic took a deep breath. “I know how much it costs to travel by train. I’ve done it plenty of times myself, but then, my company picks up the tab. You work for a supermarket, so I’m assuming they don’t pay you what you’re worth. Once you factor in bills and the like, you’ve probably strained your finances to the absolute limit. Or am I mistaken on that subject?”

Rob’s temper flared briefly at the thought Vic was saying he couldn’t handle his own finances, but he tamped it down. “No, you’re not wrong.”

“Good. Thank you for being honest. Now, you said you spent most of the money you were saving up, so I thought maybe if I gave you this, it would help ease your burdens and still allow you to make the trips. Even if you don’t come to see me, you’ve still got a way to get here.”

In the entirety of his almost twenty-four years, no one had ever given Rob something so exorbitant or generous. And he honestly believed Vic was giving him this with no strings attached, which made the gift all the more precious to him.

Rob’s cheeks grew warm, and he scrubbed a hand over his face. He knew he wasn’t crying, because men didn’t cry. When Vic reached out and put his hand over Rob’s, he had the brightest smile Rob had ever seen.

“Thank you,” Rob whispered. “This is the best gift I’ve ever been given. And it’s my birthday next week, so that makes this even more special.”

Vic’s eyes went wide. “Your birthday? Do you have any plans?”

Besides hanging out with his mother, which he really didn’t want to do? Rob shook his head.

“You’ve got to do something. Celebrate your life with friends. Reminisce about old times. Just… be grateful for your life.”

Rob couldn’t control himself. “S-sorry,” he stammered out as he pushed back the chair, jostling the table. He lurched to his feet and bolted up the stairs for the guest room. Once inside, he closed the door and threw himself on the bed.

Why the hell does Vic have to be so nice? Because one thing Rob was rock solid sure of was that he didn’t deserve it.

Sometimes those who feel they don’t deserve something are the ones who need it the most.

He’d held on to those words since Vic had uttered them. As hard as it was for Rob to accept, Vic had really meant them. He saw Rob as worth something.

That didn’t mean Vic was right.

He doesn’t know me. Celebrate my life? Why would I want to do that? He’d never done anything remotely important or decent, so what was there for him to take pride in?

No, Vic was the only one who saw something in Rob. The only person Rob had ever met who thought there was more to him than what appeared on the surface.

The same person who was tapping gently on the door.

Shit. What must he think of me? Still, it was Vic’s house. Rob couldn’t refuse him entry. “Come in.”

Vic pushed open the door but didn’t cross the threshold. He stood there, hands by his sides, his gaze fixed on Rob, his brow furrowed. “I’m not sure what I said or did that upset you, but it was obviously something big. If you want to leave, I’ll understand.”

Rob didn’t want that. “No,” he replied quickly. “I’m sorry for leaving the room like I did. I—”

“No, you don’t have to tell me,” Vic interjected. “But if you’re serious about not leaving, why don’t you come downstairs, finish your coffee, and then we can decide where we’re going to have lunch?”

Rob struggled to regain his composure, taking a moment to slow his breathing to something more like its normal rate. “That sounds good,” he said at last. He got up from the bed and inhaled deeply. “My coffee will be getting cold.”

Vic smiled. “That’s what microwaves are for.” He stepped aside to allow Rob to exit the guest room. As he followed him down the stairs, Vic chuckled behind him. “Although, I was serious about showing you what I do. You might regret saying yes before the day is out, unless you love plants, flowers, and fairy-bridges.”

Rob couldn’t resist the urge to lighten the mood. “As long as one doesn’t fall down while we’re on it,” he joked.

Vic laughed. “Oh, I see now what my afternoon is going to be like.”

The amusement in Vic’s voice went a long way to improving Rob’s mood, and he suddenly found himself looking forward to their day together.





Chapter Ten


VIC LED Rob through the stone building to a wide glass door, beyond which he could see a garden. “I’ve brought you here to show you something I’m very proud of,” Vic told him. “When you see the facade of the building, on a busy London street, you have no clue as to what lies in the space behind it.”

Rob stared at the lush space, a pond at its center. “I see what you mean.”