“You know?” she asked.
“Slyce sent me an article. He did it again,” I whispered as I wiped away the tears. “She lied during the trial. She knew what he had done, and she still put her girls at risk. How can a mother do that?” I asked.
“Not all women are meant to be mothers.”
“Hannah was lucky that man broke into her house,” I said absently.
“It wasn’t luck, Kat.”
My eyes held Haizley’s. “What do you mean?”
Haizley took a deep breath before answering, “Someone was watching out for those girls even when their mother wasn’t.”
Her words were cryptic, and immediately I thought about Slyce. But the article said it was a man who broke in. An avenging angel. Whoever he was, he deserved a medal.
I used to believe in angels once upon a time. But after everything Frankie and I had been through, it was hard to staypositive most days. My eyes returned to my phone, and I shook my head.
“I don’t know what to tell Frankie,” I whispered.
“You don’t have to tell her anything.”
Haizley was right; I had no obligation to tell her, but something about it felt wrong. Like I was keeping something from her. Something important. Something that might affect her overall mental health.
“If you decide to tell her, I can help,” Haizley offered. I nodded absently, not really giving her words any thought.
“I’m here for another reason, though.”
I turned my head; her smile was so sincere, and I wondered how long she’d had to practice it to get it just right, because my mind couldn’t fathom the notion that she was actually sincere.
“I wanted to invite you to the clubhouse for Thanksgiving.”
“What?”
“Thanksgiving is next week and I want you and Frankie to come have dinner with us.”
“Why?” I asked.
The truth was, Frankie and I hadn’t even talked about Thanksgiving. We hadn’t had a real Thanksgiving in years. For us, it had become just another day.
The door opened, and Frankie stepped out. “Can I bring my friend? And her family?”
“That would be wonderful,” Haizley replied. My eyes darted between the two of them.
“That’s six extra people,” I blustered, searching for a way out.
“That’s okay. King and Blade are going to Arkansas for Thanksgiving, so we’re losing...” Her eyes looked above her as she ticked something off on her fingers. “There are at least a dozen going with them, so we have plenty of room.”
Frankie looked at me. She still didn’t speak, but her eyes said more than enough. I nodded, knowing I wouldn’t win thisargument. We had plans to go to the orchard tonight so Frankie and Cami could have a sleepover; that would be my chance to convince Maggie to go with us.
“Great, I’ll let Sam know we have a few more joining us. She’ll be so excited.” Haizley stood up and started walking toward her house.
“Can I bring something?” I called out.
“Just your appetite!” she hollered back as she waved.
The door clicked behind me, and I sighed. Enough was enough. I followed her into the house, and before she could disappear into her room again, I said, “Frankie, we need to talk.”
She paused in the hallway but didn’t turn around.
