“I told him we were going to reach out, but wanted him to get acclimated a little before we bombarded him,” Dixon explains.
“We knew you had a lot going on,” Macklin tells me.
“Yeah, it’s been a lot, but Mom’s a trooper.She’s taking it all in stride, and her spirits are up.In fact, she’s at home with Edith, Betty, and Wanda.They all but kicked me out of the house.”
“Spitfires, the lot of them.”Dixon laughs.
“That they are, but I’m glad they’re there for her.I know Chandler and I have been driving Mom out of her mind, holding her and asking her how she’s feeling or if she needs anything.”
“That’s tough.”Bowen nods.
“I don’t know what else I can do, you know?I mean, she’s fighting for her life, battling this terrible fucking disease, and all we can do is sit back and watch.”I shake my head because fuck cancer.
“We’re here if there is anything we can do,” Macklin tells me.
“We got you,” Dixon agrees, and Bowen nods, letting me know he’s also in for anything we might need.
Glass shattering pulls Bowen’s focus to the bar.He sighs and stands.“New girl” is all he says as he walks off.
I turn to watch him walk away, and my breath stalls in my lungs.
Ellison.
She’s laughing with her best friend, Kinzie, and they move toward the bar.She’s wearing faded blue jeans that look as though they were painted on, a black T-shirt, and her hair is hanging down her back.She’s not all dolled up, but she’s still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.
“What are you—?”Macklin asks as he turns to follow my gaze.“Ah.”He nods.“Did we forget to mention Ellison and Kinzie are here?”
“Might have,” I say, draining what’s left of my beer.
“You good?”Dixon asks.
“Nope,” I tell him honestly.
“Do you need to go?”
“No.I just— Fuck.”I run my fingers over my head.It’s been a little over a month, and my hair is already growing out.It feels weird, but also right at the same time.As if I’ve been living someone else’s life for the last seventeen years, and finally, I get to be me.
“Have you seen her yet?”Macklin asks.
“Yeah, a few times.I’m actually staying at the Manor.Mom claims the rooms at her place are full, and I didn’t want to impose on Chandler and Macie,” I explain.
“Okay, first of all, did you check the rooms?”Dixon asks.
“What?”I ask, my brain still trying to comprehend that she’s here, and she’s not mine.
“The rooms, Copeland.Did you check them?”
“No.Why would I?”
“Amateur.”Macklin shakes his head.
“Care to fill me in?”I ask my friends, still keeping my eyes on Ellison.
“Yeah, you were here, what?Six months ago?”Dixon asks.
“I was.”
“And where did you stay?”Macklin asks.
