Page 69 of Little Bitter Truths
“Come on, that’s not what you want.You might be thinking it right now, but that’s the alcohol talking.”
“What I want is to reverse time, for Wren to be alive.”She turned away, her shoulders sagging.“I don’t know what my life looks like without her in it.Wren was the one person who always understood me.Now she’s gone, and I can’t make sense of any of it.”
“I know it feels impossible right now, but you’re not alone.”
“It sure feels like I am.”
We stood there in silence for a moment, the weight of everything settling between us.Then I said, “Why don’t you come stay with us tonight?You’ve had a lot to drink, and I don’t want you making any choices you’ll regret in the morning.”
“You think I’m going to go stand on the lawn and invite a killer to shoot me?”She tossed her head back and laughed.“I’ll be fine.The cops are out there, watching my house.They’ll protect me.Right?”
Maybe so, but unless I had eyes on her, I knew I wouldn’t get any sleep tonight.“I’d feel better knowing you weren’t spending the night here by yourself.You can even bring Coco.”
As I searched for something else I could say to convince her, she surprised me.
“I don’t want to be a burden.”
“You’re not,” I said.“We have a big house with plenty of guest rooms.You’d get to meet Luka too, my Samoyed.He’d be thrilled to have another dog around.”
The comment earned the hint of a smile.
“Plus,” I added, “if you wake up in the middle of the night and everything feels overwhelming, you won’t have to face it alone.”
“I don’t know.”
A long moment passed between us.
Then she said, “Okay, I’ll come.”
For the first time since I arrived, I felt a sense of relief.
She glanced back at the counter, at the bottles lined up like evidence of the horrible day she’d had.“Give me a minute.I need to grab a few things.”
“Take all the time you need.I’ll be here.”
She disappeared down the hallway, leaving me alone in the kitchen.
I gathered up the bottles, placing one in the recycling bin and the other in the refrigerator.Then I rinsed the shot glass and set it aside.Not because it mattered, the empties, the dirty shot glass.I wanted to help in any way I could, even in small ways.
A few minutes later, Mia returned with a small bag slung over her shoulder and Coco at her side on a leash.“I’m ready.”
We stepped out of the house together, the cool night air wrapping around us as she locked the door behind her.As we walked to the car, I couldn’t shake the feeling that tonight had shifted something.
Somewhere in all of this, beneath the lies, the grief, and the fear, there was a truth waiting to surface.
And I was getting closer to it.
28
Mia spent most of the drive staring out the passenger window as we made our way to the house.As the gate swung open at the end of our driveway, Mia’s eyes widened when she saw the man seated inside the security booth.
“You have a security guard?”she said.
“We have a security guard, yes,” I repeated.
I left it at that and drove up to the house, glancing at her as I shut off the engine.“How are you feeling?”
“Not great.”
