“Doesn’t matter now,” I mumbled, staring down at the counter before looking back at her. “I got out, and that’s what matters.”
“Life has a funny way of settlin’ debts,” Belle said, gently laying her hand over mine. “And bastards who hit women always get what’s coming to them eventually.”
I wanted to cry. “Thank you for that.”
She gave my hand a squeeze. “Now, are you just going to sip on coffee all day or would you like something to eat?”
My stomach growled at the mention of food. “I guess I’ll take a burger and fries. If it’s not too much trouble.”
“Too much trouble?” Belle huffed, amused. “Hon, you’re inmydiner. That’s what I do.” She turned to the open window that separated the dining area from the kitchen. “Hey, Ches! I need a burger and fries!”
My chest felt lighter, and even though I hadn’t gone into detail about Heath or the nightmare I’d endured, simply letting someone in on the secret I’d kept buried for so long felt like a breath of fresh air.
A few moments later, Belle placed a steaming plate of food in front of me. The savory aroma hit me like a tidal wave, and my stomach growled again in response. Only then did I realize just how hungry I truly was. Without a second thought, I dug in.
“Slow down, hon,” Belle said with a soft chuckle. “You’re gonna make yourself sick eating that fast.”
I nodded around a mouth full of food.
Belle filled a cup with soda and slid it across the counter. “This will wash all that down better than that coffee will.”
I thanked her and took a deep drink from the cup, halfway emptying it before setting it back down.
“I know this isn’t my place and all,” Belle started, but hesitated for a moment, “but you kind of seem like you’re wingin’ this. Do you have any kind of plan as to what you’re going to do?”
I swallowed a bite of burger and shook my head. “Not exactly,” I admitted. “The only thing I could think about was getting as far away from…” I almost said his name but thankfully caught myself. I didn’t want to give him space in this new life I was trying to build.
Sure, I’d written about him, plenty. Page after page, my journal held the ugly truths I still couldn’t bring myself to say out loud. I’d started writing after my mom died.
Someone once told me grief needed somewhere to go, and I guess the fear did, too.
But speaking the words? Naming what he did? That felt different. Like if I said it, it would make it more real. And I wasn’t ready for that. So, instead, I said, “Him.”
Belle didn’t say anything, but I could feel her watching me. Not with pity, thank God, but with the kind of patience that said,I know. When you’re ready.“Where were you headin’, exactly?”
I let out a small, embarrassed laugh. “Honestly? Heaven, Texas. I thought maybe it was a sign, you know? Like, maybe I’d find peace there, or a fresh start.”
Belle gave a warm chuckle and propped one hand on her hip. “Well, bless your heart. You missed it by a good forty miles.”
I blinked. “Seriously?”
“Mmhmm,” Belle hummed with a wink. “But don’t you worry your pretty little head. Things aren’t so bad down here south of Heaven.”
That pulled a real smile across my lips—small, but genuine.
“And to prove that, I’m gonna help you.”
My eyes widened as shock and confusion overwhelmed my senses. “I’m sorry. What?”
“Isaid, I’m going to help you.” Belle held up a finger before I could respond. “Hang on a sec.” She stepped away to ring up a customer. “Thanks, Charlie. See you tomorrow.”
“All right, first things first,” she said, moving back toward me. “We’ll need to find you a place to stay. There’s a little motel across town that should work for a few nights. Just until I can make some calls and see if anything more permanent is available to rent.”
That word…permanent…snagged something sharp in my chest.
“I’m not planning on sticking around that long.”
Belle gave me a look that said she wasn’t convinced.
