Page 61 of Recklessly in Love

But as soon as we walk in, I know she has. Mia removes her apron and darts around the counter to envelop Joanie in a hug.

“Are you guys okay? We heard Ned was arrested last night. And that his parents were seen outside the community center this morning.”

Joanie rolls her eyes, presumably at the speed and accuracy of the rumor mill around here.

“We’re fine. His mom just had some choice words for me. And a good, hard shove.”

Mia pales. “Oh no. Did you shove back?”

Joanie smirks. “I would’ve if I weren’t so fucking surprised to see them. We didn’t even know Ned had been officially arrested.”

Mia smirks in return. “Maybe if you guys hadn’t been so busy …”

From behind the counter, Rae coughs to cover her laugh.

A small blond woman sitting at one of the small tables on the other side of the bakery hesitantly approaches.

“Excuse me, are you the one who reported Ned Tyler for assault?” she asks.

Joanie nods. “Yes, that’s me.”

The woman takes a deep breath. “I just wanted to say thank you. And that ... he assaulted me, too. A few months ago. I was too scared to say anything then, but hearing about what he did to you ... I filed a report this morning.”

Joanie’s eyes widen. “I’m so sorry that happened to you. But thank you for coming forward now.”

The woman gives a small smile. “Of course. Everyone knows his parents always get him off the hook, and I don’t want to see that happen this time. I hope he gets what he deserves and isn’t allowed to hurt anyone else.”

“I hope that too. I’m Joanie, by the way,” she offers, holding out a hand.

“Meg,” the other woman responds shyly, shaking it. “Guess I’ll see you around?”

Joanie nods, and Meg waves goodbye to Rae before heading out.

Once she’s gone, Rae clears her throat. “She’s not the only one,” she says quietly. “Lots of other women have come to me, telling me Ned assaulted or harassed them too. I encouraged them all to file reports.”

We’re all silent for a moment, processing the enormity of the situation. The phrase “lots of other women” loops through my mind, and my stomach churns with anger and disgust.

“At least they’re speaking up now,” Mia finally says. “With more victims coming forward, there’s no way Ned’s getting out of this.”

“He better not,” I say through gritted teeth. The thought of what he’s done to Joanie and so many others makes me want to bring a world of hurt down on his shoulders. But Joanie is right again; I need to let the law handle this. And trust that justice will be served. And if it’s not, then I’m sure Nate can help me find a suitable place to bury his body where no one will ever find it.

That idea shouldn’t give me so much satisfaction.

I wrap my arm around Joanie, holding her close. “You’re amazing, you know that?” I murmur. “Your bravery, your strength in all this ... I’m in awe of you.”

She leans into me. “I couldn’t do it without you,” she says softly, then looks around. “Any of you. Knowing you’ve all got my back —”

“We’ve got each other’s backs,” Nate corrects from the doorway, where apparently he’d been leaning. “I came in when Meg went out, so I caught the gist,” he adds with a wink. Mia goes to him, and he wraps her in his arms.

I press a kiss to Joanie’s temple. “Come on, guys,” I say, trying to inject a lighter energy into the room. “It’s Saturday night. Let’s go blow off some steam.”

“But I made a roast back at the house,” Mia objects, looking stricken.

Nate and Joanie laugh. “Sounds like a party to me,” Joanie responds.

“Ooh, and we can play Scrabble,” Mia adds excitedly.

“I’m not playing Scrabble with this guy,” I say, gesturing at Nate. “He’s a fucking doctor. He knows way too many big words.”

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