Page 15 of She’ll Steal Your Heart
“The queen herself,” Mia confirmed. “Can I get you anything? Coffee? Water?”
“Water would be great. Thanks.” Lauren walked to the kitchen table and set down her bag.
“I talked to Josie this morning,” Mia told her as she filled two glasses with water and brought them to the table. “She wants to meet with you today since the bar is closed on Mondays.”
Lauren blew out a breath as the ball of tension in her stomach tightened. “I really appreciate you setting that up for me, but I can take it from here.”
Mia narrowed her eyes as she sat across from Lauren, and Lauren had the uncomfortable feeling she’d offended her. But she had to at least offer to do this on her own. The last thing she wanted was to overstep the bounds of her fledgling friendship with Mia.
“Why are you so determined to do this on your own?” Mia asked.
Lauren dropped her gaze to her water. “Because it’s my problem, and I should be the one to fix it. And because I appreciate your friendship too much to take advantage of it.”
“Well, you aren’t taking advantage of me, so you can let go of that excuse. I’d like to help, and honestly, you’d be foolish not to accept.”
Lauren blinked. That was…harsher than she’d expected. “Okay.”
Mia nodded briskly. “Then it’s settled. I’ll come with you to Dragonfly, and once we’ve squared things with Josie, we’ll go to the precinct to get that warrant dropped.”
“I…thank you.” Lauren sipped her water, resisting the urge to fiddle with her glass. Anxious energy spiraled through her body, because this was really happening. After fifteen months, she was finally going to make things right. It was going to be a hard, awful day, but when all was said and done, she’d finally be able to move forward with her life.
“You’re welcome,” Mia said. “Josie’s expecting us after lunch, so you can hang out here with me in the meantime if you like. I can go over with you what to expect when we get to the precinct.”
Lauren nodded, ridiculously thankful for Mia’s help even if she still felt guilty accepting it. “I would appreciate that. How did Josie seem when you talked to her?”
Mia rolled her lips inward, then shrugged. “She was pretty upset at first, but she’s willing to hear you out. She’s got a big heart, so I imagine she’ll be understanding once you’ve given her that check and explained what happened.”
“I hope so.” Lauren blinked as her eyes filled with unexpected tears. “I hate that I hurt her. I really do. I’ve been wanting to make it right ever since it happened.”
“What took you so long, then?” Mia asked, direct as ever.
“Well, for one thing, I had to save up the money. I left the city with nothing after I robbed her bar. But also, I couldn’t risk turning myself in until I was sure it wouldn’t affect Craig. But now…” She gestured helplessly toward her backpack, still heavy with his urn.
The decision to have him cremated had been a difficult one, but ultimately, she couldn’t afford a burial. Cremation was so much cheaper, and this way, she could bring him back to Brooklyn with her. Now, his hometown would be his final resting place. She hadn’t had to leave him behind in Rhode Island.
“Hey.” Mia covered Lauren’s hand with hers. “It’s going to be okay. Truly. People do stupid shit all the time, way worse things than you did. We’re going to get it sorted.”
Lauren whispered her thanks, still looking at the backpack. Her heart was racing again, because she’d almost forgotten. “I have to…I have to scatter his ashes before I go to Dragonfly.”
“Right now? Why?”
Lauren sucked in a shaky breath and blew it out as she met Mia’s eyes. “In case I spend tonight in jail. I don’t want his remains to get lost in police lockup.”
Mia sat back, pressing her palms against the table. “One, you’re not spending the night in jail, not with me here to advocate for you. And two, leave your things here at my apartment. You shouldn’t be carrying your brother’s remains around the city in a backpack anyway.”
Lauren opened her mouth to protest because she was already letting Mia do too much for her, but this would keep Craig’s remains safe until Lauren was ready to say goodbye, and how could she argue with that? “Okay. Thank you.”
Mia nodded. “No problem. Now, let’s talk about what will happen once we get to the police station.”
* * *
Lauren’s stomachwas in knots as she and Mia boarded the subway to take them to Josie’s bar. The rest of the day was going to besohard, but as Mia gave her a reassuring smile, Lauren realized it would be at least a little bit easier with Mia at her side.
She’d left her backpack at Mia’s, bringing with her only a small bag that contained the check for Josie, her identification, and her phone. As the train carried them across Brooklyn, Mia was quiet, and Lauren didn’t know what to say either. She was so grateful to Mia for being here, but at the same time, Lauren didn’t know her well enough yet to really lean on her today.
Lauren sat with her hands in her lap, fighting an increasing sense of dread. Walking into Dragonfly was going to be one of the hardest things she’d ever had to do. She felt off balance without her backpack and the weight of Craig’s urn in her lap, as morbid as that sounded. He’d been the one constant in her life, and today, she felt his absence more acutely than ever.
All too soon, she and Mia exited the subway and climbed the steps to the street. Lauren’s knees shook as she walked, and her chest felt unbearably tight. Up ahead, the bar came into view. Its lavender dragonfly-shaped logo was exactly like Lauren remembered, and she smiled in spite of herself. She’d spent three wonderful weeks here, tending bar side by side with Josie.
