“So it seems,” Mimi replies.
Sabrina rises. “You should visit with your grandmother. That’s far more important than threatening to fire me. Jitter. Come. Who’s a good boy who wants to go on a hike now that Mommy’s shift is over? Who’s a good boy?”
“A word,” I repeat.There are lines.
This is one of them.
And she knows it.
How many times did she tell me she was playing dirty?
And how furious am I that I’m still worried thathersecrets might come out since Mimi hired aprivate investigator, even if that was all Sabrina’s own fault?
“Now,” I say.
She ignores me.
Zen and Mimi look nothing alike, but they’re sporting matching amused pursed lips.
And I have to grab a fucking chair because I’m seeing dots in my vision and feeling that familiar pressure behind my eyes that says a dizzy spell is imminent.
And not a light dizzy spell like the one I had a minute ago.
Aharddizzy spell.
“Oh, no,” Sabrina says distantly while people shift around me.
The dog whines nearby, and something heavy settles on my feet and against my legs while my vision goes nearly black.
A chair scrapes against the brick floor, and someone grabs my arm. “Sit, Uncle Grey,” Zen orders.
They sound like they’re in an echo chamber.
So does the dog’s whine.
I follow directions and sit, and nearly fall forward, but Zen and the dog don’t let me.
The pressure fades, and my vision starts to clear.
So do my ears.
And that’s when I realize what’s missing.
All of the noise of a room full of people.
Everyone’s staring.
Half the town just saw me nearly pass out.
Look weak.
Damaged.
Broken.
“Willa, we have customers waiting,” Sabrina says. “Iris, did you see the Valentine’s Day decorations? Willa did such a great job with them, didn’t she? Portia, did I hear your brother’s coming to the speed dating event tonight? Isn’t he living in South Dakota now? Is he coming home for good, or is he just looking for a good time?”
Voices slowly pick up again.
