Remember, you can trust me! I promise!

Chapter Thirty Two

Carol hadn't known that Buck had actually hurriedly packed her and Sophia a bag. She showered and got dressed, her heart heavy. This, in a way, was all her fault. Sure, she didn't tell him to go off and beat up some guy but she knew the reason he had done it was for saying something about her. If she had just called someone else that night when her car was broke down then none of this would have ever happened.

She was nervous as she entered the kitchen. Buck and Merle were sitting at the table, worry etched deep lines in Buck's face as he stared off, cup of coffee clasped between his hands. Merle looked about the same, just a younger version. She felt awkward, like she didn't belong here. Like Daryl was the only link and with him gone, she was intruding on them. And she couldn't help but wonder if they blamed her as much as she blamed herself.

Buck looked up, finally noticing her standing there. She didn't realize she was wringing her hands. He offered her a smile. "Rough mornin'. Coffee's hot but the company ain't the greatest."

She poured a cup and then sat down, running her finger over the rim. "I just want you both to know that I'm really sorry about this."

Merle looked at her briefly but his eyes turned back down to the table.

"Not just about Daryl but about last night. The kids, Ed, all of it. I just want you to know that I'll be out of your hair tonight. And if there's anything I can do to help him, please call me. Or let June know and she can pass on the message."

Buck looked up, blue eyes studying her with a deep frown. "Ain't none of this your fault. He makes his own decisions. Most of'em bad. Trust me, darlin', Daryl was born a magnet for trouble. It finds him every time."

"I kind of brought it right to his door though. He was just trying to be a nice guy and help someone out. Now all of this has happened and you can say that it wasn't my fault, and not all of it was but..."

Buck and Merle shared a look and then, to her surprise, they both chuckled. She looked from one face to the other, not understanding what could possibly be so funny. Merle finally looked at her. "My brother ain't a nice guy. He don't run around lookin' for people to help out. If he came to you that night it was cause he already had it in the back of his head that there was gonna be somethin' in it for him."

Carol frowned and was about to ask him to elaborate but Buck chimed in just then.

"I don't think that's the case. But Merle's right. If he did you any favors, it wasn't out of the kindness of his heart. He probably did it as a favor to Piper since the girls were friends and then it just kinda snowballed from there. Don't ever think that you ain't nothin' but a piece to him. That ain't the case at all." He gave Merle a hard look and kicked him under the table. "Well, maybe that's all it was suppose to be. He cares about you though. You keep that in mind."

She nodded. "I know that. I just didn't want you two to think that I meant to bring any of this on your family."

"We don't," Merle said, standing up.

Buck joined him and then looked down at her. "You ain't no bother either. You can stay here as long as you need to stay here, alright?"

She nodded but she knew she wouldn't take him up on his offer. There wasn't any reason for her to be here.

"We're meetin' with his lawyer so we'll know somethin'. I'll call you and let you know what we figured out. You need anything? Money for gas? All you gotta do is ask. You won't have to worry about a damn thing while he's locked up," Buck assured her.

She shook her head. "I'm not taking money from you, Buck, but thank you. I was going to try to get an advance from June and just get Sophia and I a room for the next few days. There's a motel not for from her school and..."

"Fuck that!" Merle snapped. "Ain't no woman under my watch gonna hole up with her teenage daughter in a Motel. Especially not that one. Bunch of hookers and pill heads sniffin' around that place. No way."

"Merle, I'm not under your watch. I can't just stay here-"

"Look, we have a place for you and Sophia to go, okay. It's like a safe house. It's nothin' special but you and Sophia can stay out there until we can figure somethin' else out."

She debated in her head for a few long moments. If she took him up on his offer then she wouldn't have to ask June for anything and that would be great. She also wouldn't have to worry about Ed or anyone else finding out where she was. "Okay. That does sound better than a motel."

Both men looked relieved.

Buck promised to call her again as they parted ways. She was going to tell him that he didn't have to go out of his way but it wouldn't have done her any good. One trait that they all shared was their stubbornness. She followed the directions that June had given her and, despite the despair that filled her over Daryl's arrest and her very uncertain future she couldn't help the small smile that graced her lips. The bakery was in the historic part of town tucked in between a building that advertised an insurance agency and another that looked like an antique store.

The bakery was bright and cheery, sticking out like a decorative thumb. It had a wide pink awning casting shade on several tables, like people made a habit of eating cupcakes and cookies right out on the sidewalk. The display window was large and she was intimidated by the array of fancy cakes and pies behind the glass. She could bake with the best of them but she had never been very good at the decorating part. She hoped June didn't expect her to be an expert at any of this.

The bell dinged when she stepped inside, drawing the attention of a few patrons that were sitting at a round vintage table near the window. They were eating danishes and sipping fancy looking coffees. The décor was a wild combination of art deco style meshed heavily with fluff. Carol adored it right away. She imagined Daryl and Merle and the others sitting at one of the lacquered pastel colored tables eating cake and she laughed out loud, her eyes dancing. Behind the counter there were old photographs of the town and she was actually surprised to see several that were framed black and whites of men in leather, posing in front of bikes.

June came around the corner, placing fresh cookies into a glass case before looking up, noticing Carol standing there. She smiled and motioned for her to follow her so Carol did. The kitchen was larger than she expected, all stainless steel and modern.

"Honey, I heard what happened this morning. I'm so sorry," June said as soon as the kitchen door swung closed behind him. She hugged her tightly. "But don't worry about anything, okay? Until this mess gets straightened out we're going to make sure you and that lovely girl of yours are taken care of."

Carol smiled and nodded slightly. She wanted to ask why everyone was treating her like her and Daryl were married. Even his family was acting like she had been a part of their lives from the start. She appreciated it immensely but that didn't mean she understood it at all. Her curiosity was burning too bright for her not to say anything.

"June, can I ask you something?"

June pulled away and nodded, dark almond shaped eyes that were exactly like her son's studying her sadly. "Of course."

"Why is everyone treating me like Daryl and I are a couple? I mean, I appreciate everything you all are trying to do for me and Sophia but I just don't understand why you're doing it.

June smiled but seemed to think of her answer before she spoke. "Well, I think it's probably because of Daryl. You've changed him somehow. He seems... grounded. And for that to happen to that man, then something monumental must have happened between the two of you."

"But we barely know each other," Carol said.

June shook her head. "Honey, you have to stop looking at it like that. So what if you just met him. So what if the two of you are vastly different. My grandmother used to tell us that souls speak to each other. That's why you can meet someone and although they seem perfectly fine, there's something telling you that there isn't anything there. Then other times you meet someone's eye crossing the street and there's only a look but deep down, you know that they would somehow make a positive impact on your life. You know that if you bothered to stop and say hello, that person would become a huge part of who you are. And then, every once in a while, you meet someone that, against all reason, just fits you. It's because he's the piece of you you've always been missing." She grinned. "Yeah, souls speak to each other. You and Daryl can't control how you feel about each other anymore than I can control the weather. I think Daryl tried. I think he wanted to stay away from you because that pull scared him and he hasn't been afraid of anything for a long long time."

Carol thought about that for a few moments. "That sounds..."

"It's sentimental hogwash is what it is. But it's true all the same. He speaks to you, and you to him without either of you saying a thing. I don't think it happens much anymore because people are programmed to ignore it. We've been so ingrained with social cues and what is and is not acceptable and we dictate our lives by those unspoken rules. But if you think about it, those rules shouldn't apply to matters of the heart. You shouldn't run away from love just because that love doesn't make any sense. It isn't suppose to make sense. It's why it's so dangerous. You don't even wanna know Buck's idea of what it all means." She smiled and grabbed Carol's hand. "Now that's enough of that. Let's get this show on the road."