She grabbed her head with her free hand. “No, and my head is about to explode.”
“Don’t drink so fast,” Jack told her. “You made the decision to make a big deal out of something small, so now you have to pay the price.”
“How do you know it was a small thing?” she asked.
“Because you said that you were embarrassed by what you did. If you were right about the fight, then you would stand your ground and do battle until the death. I know you, girl. I was there when you were born and have been in your life almost as much as your folks. Only you can make this right, so what are you going to do?”
“Knox sent a text asking if we can talk tomorrow. I haven’t answered it.” She held up her cup. “And thank you for this. I didn’t realize how hungry I was.”
“You are welcome, and it’s time for you to let Knox know if and when you are ready to tell him why you acted like you did.”
She took her phone from her purse and sent a text with only one word:Yes.
* * *
Cheeto flew down from the roof of the trailer and landed on Knox’s shoulder before he even closed the truck door. “Thank you for the welcome home. Seems like a month has passed since last night.” He gathered up his suitcase andbriefcase from the back seat and carried them to the trailer. “We may be going home to Spanish Fort tomorrow, so stick close by.”
The rooster gently pecked him on the cheek and flew back to his perch on the roof. Knox opened the door, and Bally jumped off the bed, ran across the floor, and tried to climb up the leg of his jeans. Knox set his luggage on the floor and picked her up.
“Somebody missed me and still loves me.”
She snuggled down on his shoulder and purred. He sat down on the edge of his bed and sighed. “This is the first time I can ever remember being in trouble and not even knowing the real reason why.”
Bally changed places from his shoulder to his lap and looked up at him with her green eyes as if she understood every word. “She said that we can talk tomorrow, but do I go to her place, or wait for her to come to mine?”
The kitten growled and hopped down off his lap. She jumped up on the cabinet, looked out the window, and slapped at it like she was fighting a monster, and all the while, Cheeto was fussing about something up on the roof. Knox slung the door open, expecting to see a flock of birds trying to steal Cheeto’s roost and tormenting Bally through the window.
Not a bird in sight, but Lottie stood on the bottom step.
“I was trying to get up enough courage to knock,” she whispered.
“It’s not Sunday,” Knox told her.
“I understand,” she said and turned to walk away.
“But it’s only a few hours until midnight,” Knox raised his voice, “and there’s no way I can sleep.”
She turned around, and even with only the dim moonlight, he could see the anguish in her eyes and feel the pain in her body language. “Then may I come in and talk to you?”
He swung the door open, and she came inside. “May I sit down?”
“We’ve had an argument which I don’t understand at all, but you don’t have to ask for permission to come in or to sit down.” He couldn’t control the flat tone. “Can I get you something to drink—water, tea, a beer?”
“Beer, please,” she answered and sat down.
He took two from the refrigerator and twisted the tops off, then sat down, but kept a couple of feet between them. “Do you want to tell me what I did wrong?”
She took a long sip of her beer. “It wasn’t you. It’s me.”
“Seems like I’ve heard that line right before a lady told me that an old boyfriend had resurfaced.”
“It’s not anything like that,” Lottie’s voice came out in half a groan.
“I’m listening.”
“We were talking about whether we would survive a big fight, and…” She paused.
Knox waited for a full minute before he said, “Go on.”
