He smiled and unwrapped his arms.
Ugh, that’s gross.
She threw the wad of tissues in the trash and blew her nose again before splashing water on her face. There was no hiding her puffy eyes and splotchy face. She just wasn’t one of those women who was a pretty crier. Leaving the bathroom, she heard Jase’s voice in the living room. And Denise’s.
Oh, jeez.
The thick carpet was soft as she walked down the short hall. Denise leaned against the kitchen counter, arms crossed, and stared down Jase who sat at the kitchen table with Gran. She met Bree at the island and hugged her hard.
“I brought a shovel,” she said, loud enough for Jase to hear.
Bree laughed into Denise’s shoulder, riding that fine line of emotional hysteria. She didn’t know if she could take anymore today. She was just too raw after being numb for so long.
“You good?” Denise asked.
“Yeah.”No.
The wall she’d so carefully constructed around herself lay in rubble. Jase had crashed through it with the force of a bulldozer. Her heart ached. For Jase and Ms. Carol. For Tony. For everything she’d had to feel in the last day.
“You lying?”
“A little bit. But I’ll be okay.”
“I figured that out when I didn’t see any blood stains on the carpet.”
She huffed. “Like Gran would let me get blood on the carpet.”
“I have a large tarp in the shed,” Gran said.
Bree broke the hug. Jase was a little wide-eyed, finding himself in a room of women calmly discussing the disposal of his body. “You’re fine,” she told him. “They’re kidding. Kind of.”
She looked at Denise. “How long have you been here?”
“Not long. About fifteen minutes or so.”
In a low voice, Bree asked, “Can I get you to leave again so we can finish talking?”
“Denise, why don’t you walk down to the coffee shop with me?” Gran must have heard her. Or knew her well enough to understand she needed a few more minutes.
“Sure. I could use some caffeine.” Denise rubbed her hand over Bree’s arm before following Gran out the door.
Jase stood and gathered Bree close. She wrapped her arms around his waist, her head rested on his chest while the steady beat of his heart thumped under her ear.
“Are we okay?” His voice rumbled in his chest, sending shivers through her.
“We will be. I just need some time.”
“Bree. Don’t compartmentalize me.”
She held herself still, unblinking. That was exactly what she would end up doing. Dealing with the pain meant tucking it away in places she didn’t have to visit. It was the only way she knew how to deal with the emotions raging through her. “I need a day or two to process everything I’m feeling right now.”
One of Jase’s hands left her back and rested on the side of her face. He tipped her head back, forcing her to look at him.
“Go out with me.”
“What?” Her brow furrowed.
“On a date. I’ll give you your day, but you have to go to dinner with me tomorrow.”
