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But I do know one thing

I'ot to accept JT is in his life until such ti JT, that will happen A zebra doesn't change his stripes, I re on a superlative effort to snow Beck at this moment, I know it's only a matter of time before he falls back onto his old, treacherous ways

So I s ain

I do this all for Beck

I coht not like him very much, but I'll have dinner with him if that's what you want"

Chapter 22

Beck

"I'h Sela's neighborhood We hadn't talkedout of San Francisco about forty-five h to requireher nails into the supple leather of the passenger seat

"Ashaainst the seat rest to look at me

I spare just a lance at her, but what aover her shoulders, and I ache to reach out to touch it because I kno soft it is One ofasleep on top oflike a silk blanket on my chest

"That I didn't even know that you're frorounds," I tell her with a laugh as I put my eyes back on the road

"Well, not really your old storounds," she corrects me primly "Belle Haven isn't exactly the hotbed of lifestyles of the rich and famous"

"Srumble "I just meant that you were minutes from me when I went to Stanford We could have passed each other on the street at soether and never known it Did you ever go to a lot of parties at Stanford?"

"No," she says softly as she gazes out the s "I wasn't irl"

The neighborhood of Belle Haven, located in Menlo Park, is no more than a couple of hborhood that's had a very bad rap for years and years, and Sela's rightht dead here once upon a tiotten better over the last five or so years, particularly with Facebook opening a carams The violent criood choice now for lower-income families

Still, it's a far cry frorew up My parents would be absolutely horrified to knoas involved with a wo the looks on their faces actually givesinside

"It's that one right there," Sela says as she points to a tiny bungalow done in a light gray siding with a flat roof and a yellow porch light burning brightly Even though it's already dark, there's plenty of light froe stamp with only ten feet or so in on either side of the house Still, the yard is tidy with pretty bushes around the foundation and the drought-brown grass neatly edged at the sidewalk that runs adjacent to the road

I park parallel on the street, as the short driveway has a white work truck and a snition, I say, "The family homestead It's nice"

"Not a palace like you're used to," she says with a quirk to her lips

Such beautiful lips

So I lean over and give her a kiss "I rown up in a monstrosity of a house, but it wasn't ever a home Our condothat's more of a home to me than I've ever lived in, and part of that is because you're there"

Sela's eyes fill with tenderness, a new look I' on he

r face The cool, aloof woined

She reaches out, grabscasually between us, and squeezes it "You're too sweet to me"

"Youthe fact that these words of affection come easy to me

Maybe I was built for relationships but just never found the right one While Sela alwaysin reserve that is still unknown to limpses inside to know she could possibly be "the one" She's definitely worth the effort, and I hope that she'll fully open up toin her past keeps a part of her locked up tight from me, and that was evidenced by last hen she lied toabout it now,with SelaI don't abide by liars I hate dishonesty and secrets and ulteriorthat could tear me away from her

But ultimately, what Sela did was more of a fib than a lie It was her terrible atte overwhelirl went for a walk to get her head on straight and didn't think I'd understand or be sympathetic to her doubts