“They won’t tell me anything,” Annie said.“I just…I had to be sure.I had to talk to you about it.”
Lauren sighed.“That’s fair.I guess I’m a criminal.”
“I didn’t think you were a criminal,” Annie said, chancing a smile.“But, come on, the Porsche is pretty glaring.”
She groaned.“I didn’t get to pick the car.I would’ve asked for a minivan.”
“The dream,” Annie said.
She decided now was not the right time to tell Lauren her own exciting news – Roy had offered to buy Annie a new car.Apparently the guilt associated with Annie almost dying in a fire had inspired more generosity in him.
“Do you hate me now?”Lauren asked, pulling Annie out of her thoughts.
Annie looked at her, surprise in her eyes.“No.I don’t hate you.”
“I didn’t tell you this before,” she shook her head, “I don’t know why.But Roger lost his job and has been out of work for a year.It’s been so stressful and I just wanted a car that was safe for the kids and…”
Tears flooded Lauren’s eyes.
Annie felt her chest constrict.She couldn’t condone what Lauren had done, but she could understand it.
She stood, arms outstretched.Lauren shot to her feet, dashing away a tear on her cheek, and took Annie into an embrace.
“I’m so sorry about everything,” Lauren sobbed.“And I thank God you’re okay.”
Annie squeezed her tight.“Me too.”
Her next stop was Miles’ house.It was time to come clean about all of it, and while she’d told Lauren she wouldn’t rat her out to the police, she’d never said anything about the fire department.They deserved to know forces were working against them.
She parked at home and made the walk to his house.She wanted a moment to admire it before he noticed her, to listen to the birds chirping, the bees buzzing in his perfectly kept flowerbeds, and to admire the blue sky hanging overhead like a portrait of happiness.
The memory of him ripping her away from that fire flashed in her mind.The day she had almost died.
Whatever happened now, nothing could be as bad as that, even if her heart hadn’t gotten the message, pounding away as if locked in a cage.
She knocked on the door.The sound of steps echoed, and then there he was, standing tall and handsome in a blue and black flannel shirt, the top button undone.His face was dark with stubble, more than his usual, and he had bags under his eyes.
“Annie.”
The hard look was gone from his face, replaced with astonishment.
“Hi, Miles.Can I come in?”
“Of course.”
He stepped aside and she walked in, pulling her coat off.
“I need to tell you something,” she said.
The alarm on his face only grew, and he led her to the kitchen.He had a pot of tea brewed and poured a cup for each of them.
They sat at the kitchen table, and she told him everything about Lauren’s car, her own suspicions, and finally the confrontation.
“Do you believe her?”Miles asked.
Annie considered this, watching the steam rise from her mug of tea.“I do.I think she did a dumb thing.But I don’t think she’s a murderer.”
He nodded.“I’m not sure it matters.Everyone’s up in arms about the judge dismissing the case, but what’s done is done.We’ve moved on anyway.We might get some traction now with our new lawsuit.”
