Wade smirked. “Actually, that might not be a bad idea. If you develop it under Chapter & Crumb’s brand, it could qualify for a small-business revitalization grant. I could put you in touch with the county office.”
Maggie beamed. “There you go! See? Out of all this ugliness comes something good.”
“Y’all are sweet, but I need to think on it. East and I will go out there, but I have to sit with it for a while. Things at work are so busy, and East has his business here—he’s trying to get it off the ground.”
I eased Lila against me and wrapped my arms around her. She breathed a soft sigh and leaned into me, her head resting on my shoulder, and for once, I let myself relax completely. She wasn’t wrong. Holt Construction was just in its infancy here, but I’d accommodate whatever she wanted.
The evening stretched as we relaxed around the couches, the conversation lighter now — plans, ideas, laughter threading through the room like music. I tucked a blanket around Lila, and she had her feet over on my lap, a glass of wine in her hand as she laughed at Chloe.
“I’m telling you, Lila, it was amazing. The guy’s from up around Seattle. Total jerk. Apparently, he thinks his shitdoesn’t stink because he’s a doctor. I hope he steps on all the LEGOs.” She snorted and took another drink just as the door swung open.
We all looked up when the front door opened. “Hey, everyone. Sorry to crash your party.”
Our youngest and most rebellious sister, Delphina, pulled her suitcase to a stop at the entryway. She looked completely exhausted. We all exchanged glances, silently asking the same question. Did you know about this? It was clear that nobody did.
“Phiny!” Sage squealed, jumping up from her spot. “You’re home. Oh my God.”
Kipp, Wade, and I all squinted at her as I carefully untangled myself from Lila so I could get up and greet her. Phiny was pale, and it looked like she’d slept in her clothes.
“Yep. I decided that the big city wasn’t for me after all. Apparently, I couldn’t hack it.” She sniffed a little and drooped into Sage’s arms, promptly dissolving into tears.
“Let’s hear all about it, Phiny,” Chloe prompted, tugging her closer.
“Tomorrow. Let me just be glad that I’m home.” She gave a watery smile. My sister tipped her head back against the couch cushions and closed her eyes. “I can only take so much, ya know.”
48
Lila
The world outside the county jail was bathed in pale morning light, the kind that made everything look cleaner than it really was.
Wade had told me I could see Milton if I wanted to, but I had been thinking on it for a few days. I was pretty sure that if I went, he would want me to drop some or all of the charges.
Me? I just wanted some closure. Or maybe I just wanted to stop wondering, to stop feeling so damn disappointed. That probably wasn’t going to happen, but at least now I knew the truth. There wasn’t going to be any fairy tale ending in this story about my father.
When I was a little girl, I’d lie in my bedroom at my Grams and dream big. I’d think maybe he was kidnapped and held as a prisoner. I’d come up with all sorts ofreasons why he couldn’t be with me. (Of course, then I’d go down the path that it was my fault he had left.) But in the shining dreams, I always wondered if he were to come back, it’d be in a blaze of glory, with apologies and declarations of love.
Now, nothing could stop me from seeing the truth. He left of his own accord when I was little and stayed gone for the same reason. This whole scheme wasn’t for anyone’s benefit but his own. He didn’t care about me, not even a little. He even went so far as to hurt me and try to make me leave my home. The only reason I’d talk to him would be to finally close that chapter of my life. Then I’d never think about it again.
East drove, silent except for the faint hum of the heater. One hand rested on my thigh, warm and solid, anchoring me as we pulled into the lot.
“You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,” he said softly, eyeing me steadily.
“I know.” I looked at the brick building through the windshield. It was nothing special. Just the county jail, gray, squat, and unremarkable. “But I think I need to.”
He didn’t argue. He squeezed my leg and got out of the truck, then circled to open my door like he always did. “Okay, sugar.”
Here, the air carried a faint scent of disinfectant and steel. If I were to wax poetic, I might say it was the scent of failure, but that sounded mean.
Inside, Wade was waiting by the front desk, paperwork in one hand, coffee in the other. He gave me a sympathetic look before turning to East. “You’re staying with her?”
“Not leaving her side,” East said, his tone flat, final.
Wade nodded once. “Good. He’s in one of the visitation rooms. I have you both cleared, but you’ll need to leave ID. Fifteen minutes max.”
We followed Wade down the corridor. Each step echoed off concrete, and I tried not to look too long at the steel doors or the narrow windows. I could feel East close behind me — that quiet, steady presence that said everything words couldn’t.
When Wade opened the door, I hesitated on the threshold. Milton Merrick sat at the small metal table, wrists cuffed, hair gray and thin. He was a match for the shadowy figure that had broken into my house. Even sitting down, I could tell that he would loom over me, but he was still just a tired and angry man. Someone who was a stranger.
