Chapter 28
Zoe braced herself on the banister as she eased her way down the stairs on stiff legs while the percussion section of a marching band beat out a rhythm in her head. A three-day bender might have been a really bad idea. Bright sunlight streamed through the living room windows and made her head throb even more.
She stared at the mess of empty plates, glasses, and microwave meal containers strewn around her living room. The thought of smelling any residual alcohol in the glasses made her stomach roll.
Toast, ibuprofen, and water. Lots and lots of water. Dropping bread into the toaster, she filled the electric kettle so she could make some mint tea to help settle her stomach. A little bit of peanut butter on the toast would help as well.
The pity party was over. She’d needed to drown her sorrows andnotthink about her goals and dreams crashing in a literal fiery ball of flame. Now it was time to figure out what she was going to do. She needed a list.
Taking her plate and mug with her, she went to her office and stared at the poster board-sized pad that still had a checklist for the bookstore opening. She set the plate down and brushed off her hands.
Tearing the top sheet off, she started to crumple it but stopped and smoothed it out on her desk. She ran a hand down the list. She might need it again.
Maybe.
Whatever the future held, she still needed to deal with the immediate problems. She drew a small box, one she could put a check mark in, and wroteClean housenext to it.
Get copy of police/fire report
Call insurance company
Call bank
Her hand hovered over the page and she bit the inside of her mouth.
Apologize to Tim
She drew stars on either side of those three words with an arrow up the page, pointing aboveClean house. Stepping back, she pursed her lips.
Tim was worth putting on a to-do list and he needed to be first.
Part of the reason she’d drunk so hard was because she kept seeing the hurt in his eyes when she’d lashed out at him. He’d only been trying to help. Deep down she’d known that, but when he’d made the offer so soon after the fire, all she heard was he didn’t think she could handle it on her own. It had echoed all the doubts her family had spouted at her when she’d initially told them about her decision. She’d let her fear and her anger drive her reaction and it had hurt him.
“You’re such an idiot,” she whispered.
Hopefully it wasn’t too late.
Returning her plate to the kitchen, she finished her tea and poured a large glass of cold water to take upstairs with her. Before she went anywhere, she needed a shower.
Thirty minutes later, feeling somewhat human, she pulled open the front door and scared the crap out of herself and Bree.
“Holy shit!” Bree flinched back a step and grabbed her chest. “Jesus. Sorry. That was unexpected.”
“Just a little.” Zoe’s heart pounded in her chest. “I wasn’t expecting anyone on the other side of the door.”
“I wasn’t either.” She pointed inside. “Can I come in?”
“Um, I was actually—”
“It’ll only take a few minutes.”
Zoe sighed. “Sure.” What was five more minutes before she had to grovel?
“Thanks.” Bree followed her down the short hall into the living room. “Wow. Okay. Uh, do you need help cleaning up?”
“No. I wasn’t in the mood to clean the last few days. I’ll take care of it in a little while.”
Bree turned around. “I heard about the fire. I’m so sorry. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”
