I spoke quietly.
"So I live in your house, but I'm not a housekeeper, not a sister, and definitely not a girlfriend. Is that right?"
"Then why did you let me stay? Because you felt sorry for me?"
Barnaby choked on his words. Lena jumped in immediately from the passenger seat.
"You two have known each other for years. After your parents passed and you had nowhere to go, Barnaby let you stay as a housekeeper. That's all."
"We're all friends here. Looking out for each other is what friends do."
I lifted my gaze to Lena.
"Is that so? Then what exactly are you doing here, Miss Floyd? Are you coming home with us?"
"Are you two already living together?"
My tone was anything but polite. It dripped with open hostility.
In the rearview mirror, Barnaby's brows drew together.
"Lena is my girlfriend. What's the problem with her coming home with me?"
The protectiveness in his voice was unmistakable. It felt like ten thousand needles driving into the left side of my chest all at once.
The pain hit so fast and so hard it flooded through every limb, every nerve, until I couldn't force out another word.
I closed my eyes and stopped looking at the two of them in the front seat.