“Your life changed too,” Ella points out. Her voice is heavy with pain.
“I know. But the world couldn’t stop for them just because bad shit happened to me. I didn’t want it to stop for me either.” Next to all the shit these two women have gone through, I feel silly about complaining. “Some good has come of whathappened too. I’m a lawyer now. I don’t know if I could have done it otherwise.”
Lark latches on that, her whole face brightening. “Lynette is the club’s lawyer. She and Willa will come and meet you together. They’re sisters and they’regreat. I know that she’d love to talk to you about the law. Bullet and their baby are now her first loves, but the law will always be a close second. Or, third now.”
“I think that’s remarkable. I could never do what you both do. Knowing all of that—where do you even store it?” Ella dunks her cookie in the hot tea then licks the drips from the bottom.
“You’re a lecturer and teach freaking college.” I try the cookie dunking technique. It’s amazing. I can’t believe Scythe made these. It’s the most delicious thing I’ve ever put in my mouth.
“I’m an English lit professor,” she says. “Not something complicated like law. English is subjective. That’s the beauty of it.”
“So is law,” Lark argues.
We all sit for a moment. I break first. I laugh. “I have a decided lack of stimulus, so it’s pretty easy for me to stay focused.”
“Some people would just give up or get bitter. I can tell you haven’t done that. You have this beautiful, funny personality.”
My face heats at Ella’s obvious compliment.
“I have cats too. Do you want to meet them?”
Lark’s jaw drops. “Oh my god! Seriously? They’re here?”
“They are. They sometimes hide when new people are around, but if we sit in the basement for a little bit, they won’t be able to help themselves. They’ll get curious and have to come out.”
We all push back from the table. I lead the way down the hall and around the corner to the basement stairs. I muse again at how strange it is that the house already feels somewhat familiar and I’ve been here for less than a day.
The women tiptoe down the stairs behind me. “You mean that Maverick kidnapped your fur babies too?” Ella whispers.
“I told him to. Right before I told him to drug me and get on with it.”
“Oh. No one told us that.” Lark slaps a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing, probably because she’s more worried that I’ll be offended, and not because she’s afraid she’ll scare the cats. “I’m so sorry. It’s just… that’s a wild story. It’s fun, at least.”
“He made it sound like this was all his fault, but you were being an incredibly good sport about it.”
“It’s pretty crazy and confusing,” I admit. “He initiated the kidnapping, but I did agree to it in the end.”
I don’t know how much they know about why Maverick went to prison. I don’t want to discuss it without him here, especially if people at the club aren’t really aware, but he did ten years for being naive and honestly, for being too good for the world. It’s remarkable that he was in such a hard, hopeless place and he still came out with a heaping amount of optimism. If I respect one thing about him—and there are many—but if Icould only pick one, it would be that. His resilience and endless optimism.
The cats are nowhere to be found. We all sit down on the couch together. Lark and Ella speak quietly when they talk.
“I hope that Lockwood can help.” Lark muses.
“Lockwood? That’s very cloak and dagger. That’s like, the perfect doctor name. That has to be made up.” I’m sure she was referring to the therapist. It came out of nowhere, but no one can forget why this whole thing started.
You don’t meet someone with a condition like this every day, so there’s no doubt that the conversation will inevitably circle back to it. I’m basically a unicorn. Except, a not so fun one.
Ella bites down on a grin. “The best part is that I don’t think it is. It’s his last name, though.”
“That makes sense. It’s a great name.”
Pumpkin is the first to come out. He whips out from behind the desk in the far corner of the room, my work stuff all straightened neatly on top, my laptop closed tightly to protect it from wayward cats roaming or getting the zoomies. He saunters up like he doesn’t have a care in the world and arches his back to rub against my leg. The minute I scratch between his ears, his massive purr motor gets going.
“What if you came out with us? Ginny has a converted motorhome, the entire side opens up. It’s like your own little room that can go places. Maybe that would work?” Lark suggests. We could walk with you to the park, or take you to the beach, or down the back roads to the creek. You’d be able to enjoy something different, but still have your security.”
I haul Pumpkin up into my lap so the women can pet him. They do, and he eats up the love. I carefully study him and keep my face blank.
It’s a wild idea, but it’ssomething.
