“It doesn’t matter. Irrelevant! And then he just left you once the police arrested you? Erroneous on all counts, I swear to goddamnmotherfuc?—”
“Right before he left,” I added over her tirade. “He said it was too bad he didn’t have a diner napkin lying around.”
Gia froze in her tracks, her expression puzzled. “What?”
“A diner napkin.” I waved at my puffy face. “To dry my tears.”
Hazel eyes narrowing suspiciously, Gia frowned and walked over to the couch. “That’s oddly specific. You’re that’s what he said? A diner napkin?”
As her rage lessened, mine rose. “He was probably twisting the knife about Bill and Diane. That’s where he said he was taking me, so I’d get in the car. It must’ve been a hint that everything with hisspecial placewas a lie, too.” Growling, I thrust my spoon in the air. “Ugh! I knew they were paid actors!”
Ice cream flew off my spoon and landed on Gia’s shirt.
“Easy, tiger.” She sat down beside me, gripping my hand gently and lowering it back to the ice cream carton. Presumably, where it was safe. “With everything else you’ve told me, that doesn’t make any sense.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, if Max wanted to say something to twist the knife, with everything else he’d done, why wouldn’t he have just said it?” She put on her best Max impression. “Hey girl, remember how I made you think I was a good guy and then forced you to relive huge traumas? Well, I also hired actors to play Bill and Diane.”When my brow furrowed, she cleared her throat. “I don’t know, but being weirdly specific about the napkin instead of just saying he lied to you outright? That feels more like a clue than a dig to me.”
My lips twisted in consternation. I saw her point, but I had no idea what to do with it.
“Didn’t he make other comments that stood out that way?”
“Yeah…” I ran through the ones that came to mind first, but only one lined up. “Wait, he made a dig about my Skills and Assets list, too! He wrote that on a diner napkin.”
“Well, then. That settles it! Tomorrow, we’ll make a trip to the diner. See if we can get some answers.”
I did my best to smile, but failed to match her enthusiasm.
Maybe Bill or Diane could share something that would clue me in to what was going on with Max. Maybe it wasn’t as hopeless as it felt, and there was a reason for everything he was saying and doing right now.
I wanted so badly to believe that. Because losing hope?
Feeling that faith slip from my grip with each new hurt?
It felt like being a candle in the wind—or a flame fighting to stay lit—despite the elements working against it.
Growing dimmer with each blow. Not knowing when a strong enough force might come. Unsure what might finally snuff it out for good.
Before this, I’d believed that nothing could do that.
But now, so much had been happening, and so much had gone wrong…I didn’t know what to believe anymore.
The next day, after a terrible night’s sleep, Gia and I headed to Max’s secret place, hoping for answers.
By the time we pulled into the diner, Gia had convinced me we’d find something to explain Max’s behaviorandsomething useful to free his stubborn ass from the Valencourts, even if he resisted our help.
Her reaction to the diner was on par with my first impression. Just a little more dramatic, as was her style.
She swooned at the way Diane greeted us at the front, feigning collapse and near death fromcuteness overload.
Her words—not mine.
“Oh my goodness,” she hissed excitedly under her breath. “She is adorable!”
To be fair, Diane’s eyes had lit up with excitement. She gasped my name before she came around the counter and wrapped me in a hug. “It’s so good to see you, sweetheart.”
“It’s so good to see you, too.” I smiled at her, gesturing to Gia, who’d clutched her heart. “This is Gia, my best friend. I told her about your diner, and she just had to see it for herself.”
