Page 84 of Two Wrongs

Once she’s in her carrier, I race around trying to grab my things. I never really packed much to come over here, since I had only planned to be away a few days while the fictional pests were handled. One duffle bag, not even full, holds every sign I was ever in this house.

There’s a notepad on the refrigerator. I don’t want to pen a long torturous goodbye, but I did hear Griffin say he loved me, and I can’t leave him without saying it back. Quickly I jot down the last words he’ll ever get from me, because once I leave Harriston, I’m never coming back.

Griffin,

Thank you seems like an odd thing for me to write. For a long time you were a giant asshole, but I understand why now. I don’t think anyone will ever love me again the way you do. Even though I only heard you say it once, I’ll treasure it forever. Even if it only lasted a few weeks, I can say I have been loved completely and beyond reason. Know that I love you too, even though it changes nothing. You will always be Liam’s father, and he needs you more.

Wren

A single tear slips down my cheek and splashes on the page, blurring the last part of my name, but I leave it. I still have a couple of stops to make, and then I’m gone.

The first stop is to say goodbye to Dolores. I call Bess on the way, and ask her to meet me at the house. Griffin lives on the other side of town, so by the time I pull up, both women are waiting for me on the porch.

The smile on Bess’s face falls the moment I step out of the car. “You’re leaving.” It’s not a question. In the short time I’ve known her she’s been able to read me better than Audrey ever could.

I nod, and the tears I’ve fought so hard start to fall in earnest. Dolores clucks at us, and ushers both of us inside. Immediately she starts tending to my hands.

There’s quite a bit of blood smeared on my hands and arms since I didn’t clean out the rocks, then added insult to the injury by forcing my tortured flesh to grip a steering wheel. I try not to wince as she uses tweezers to pick out the tiny bits embedded in my skin.

“You really should go to the hospital and have these looked at,” she chides.

I shake my head. “I want to get on the road. I can’t, I can’t—“ my sobbing makes it hard to speak.

Dolores nods. “You can’t face him again?”

I nod. “I’ll ruin them if I stay.”

She places her fragile looking hand on my arm, and squeezes. Talk about looks being deceiving. Here I am worried about her being on her own, but she’s faced more trials than I have, and she’s more than capable of caring for herself. Still, I worry about her.

“Bess here lives in a shoe box,” I blurt out.

Dolores’s face brightens. She knows I won’t be talked into staying, and she’s always happiest when she’s part of a scheme.

“Just so happens I’ve got a cute little cottage come free,” she directs to Bess.

Turning to me, she says, “I can watch Patches for you for a while, until you land on your feet.”

I smile at her. I hadn’t quite figured out how I was going to travel with a cat. I’m not sure where I’ll even stay. “Are you sure?”

“I don’t want you to go,” Bess inserts.

I hug her. “I don’t want to, but I need to.”

She nods. “Yeah, I guess I can see that. But just so you know, I’m going to make sure he doesn’t get to drink at the bar. And if Donovan serves him, I won’t be servicing him.”

Dolores winks at her. “I like you. You’ve got a lot of fire in your blood.”

“You’re not half bad either, granny D,” Bess replies.

“We’re going to get along smashing,” Dolores says, probably so I won’t worry about either of them. It does make me feel better knowing that my two favorite people, or I guess I should say two of my favorite people, will be looked after.

“Will you check on him?” I whisper. Dolores knows who I’m talking about.

She sets about wrapping my scraped hands in gauze and looks up to answer me. “I’ve been looking after that boy for most of his life. I won’t stop now. I’m sorry you’re both going to be hurting over the actions of another. I love his son too, but that doesn’t mean I have to like him.”

“Where will you go?” Bess asks.

I shrug. “For now, I think I’ll see if my aunt Hattie wants company. She’s down in Florida. Not that I think Griffin will come looking for me, but I don’t want to be easy to find. I’ll crumble too easily if I don’t have some space to grow a backbone.”

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