Her wide eyes land on me. “What did he say?”
He’d given me a message to pass along. Back before I knew she’d mistaken me for someone safe to hang out with. Back before I knew he’d expressed jealousy and looked me up online. But my knowledge of those things doesn’t change either his message or my intent.
“He said to tell you he loves you.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Claire
Manmust rise above theEarth—to thetopoftheatmosphere andbeyond—for only thus will hefully understand theworld inwhich helives.
—ATTRIBUTED TOSOCRATES
My roommates stand around me as I lie on the couch with my foot up. Well, besides Sparrow, who is probably listening from her room. I would love to have had this place to myself to heal, but they all just happen to arrive in town from working trips around the country, including but not limited to Duluth.
Besides the five roommates I’ve already met, there are four more.
Maritza is a Latina woman whose husband is deployed in the military. So that she can afford to visit him, she works for an international airline transporting troops. She even helped evacuate Afghanistan, which sounds worse than having your retinas scratched when getting mugged.
Ha-Yoon is Korean and middle-aged, though she doesn’t look much older than I do. It could be her freckles. She also braids her hair when she works because in her past job as a waitress, it proved to get her better tips. Unfortunately, when an auditor wrote her up earlier today, she discovered this isn’t allowed. I’m not sure whether she’s feisty mad about it or this is her normal state of being.
Then there are “The Girls,” as Journey calls them. Neither looks a day older than twenty-one, because they’re not—but that’s where the similarities end. Dina is from Ethiopia and as willowy as she is bald, while Eshana is Indian and as short, round, and cuddly as a panda. I can’t ever follow their conversations about pop culture, which makes me feel strangely old.
“Why were you running in high heels?” Brittany asks in her breathy voice.
“Our shuttle driver told me an awful story about his sister being mugged on a train in Chicago, and I was scared. But now I feel dumb.”
“It’s not dumb to listen to your intuition,” Vivienne says in my defense. “You don’t see a deer deciding to hang out with a wolf just because she doesn’t want to hurt the wolf ’s feelings.”
Sparrow pops her head out. “Every year over one million deer are hit by cars.” She disappears, then reappears. “But not because they’re wearing high heels.”
“Thanks for clarifying” is all I can think to say. I’m not exactly sure of the point she’s making. It’s a Google search gone wrong.
Sparrow nods once before retreating again.
Journey rolls her eyes at me. “Did you know deer don’t wear high heels?”
Maritza pats my shoulder. “Well, I’m glad you weren’t hurt worse. How much time did they give you off work?”
“Two days.” Not really enough time to fly home. Especially since I’m supposed to be elevating my leg.
Ha-Yoon shakes her head. “I’d argue for longer sick leave. You broke a bone running for your life, for goodness’ sake.”
I get the impression she would argue for the sake of arguing. “I’ll be fine.” I give a brave smile. “Though if anyone wants to cook me dinner tonight, I wouldn’t complain.”
That sends them all to the kitchen to fight over cheese and whatnot. Well, all except Sparrow. She’ll probably wait until the rest of us are asleep, then sneak out like a cat.
Oh, and Angel. She lifts my legs gingerly, sits on the sofa, then rests my calves across her lap. “So how are you really doing?”
I think she wants the gossip on Nathan. He drove me home and helped me hobble up the stairs. But I haven’t yet told her aboutherboyfriend.
I glance toward the kitchen to make sure everyone is out of earshot. They seem to be making so much noise that they can’t even hear each other.
I face Angel and curl the toes on my good foot. “How do you feel about cheaters?”
She gasps. “Did Nathan kiss you?”
“What?” I don’t needthatimage in my head. “No.”
