“You’re not going to tell Oliver?”

“I can’t. Not yet anyway. I need to tell him in my own time,” I explained, hoping she would understand.

“Okay. But I get to come with you to the doctor, right?”

“Of course you do.” I smiled at her. “You’re all I have right now, Gilly.”

She hugged me tightly. It was in that moment that I realized how proud and happy I was to have her back in my life, after all those years of resentment. She hadn’t deserved any of it.

She was the only person in town I could trust with my secret.

How long it would stay a secret, however, I had no idea.

Chapter 20

Oliver

Iwent over to Lexie’s cabin the next morning to check on her.

Her sister’s car was in the drive and a smaller version of Lexie answered the door.

I blinked at her. “Gillian?”

She smiled. “Oliver. Coming over to check on my sister?”

“Exactly. We also, uh, had plans.” I wasn’t sure how much to reveal, knowing that Lexie liked to keep to herself.

“Ah, yes. The police station. She has to give her statement to the sheriff, right?”

“Right. We both do.”

I was also filing a restraining order against her ex so that if he ever showed up on my property, whether it was here or at the Pig, he would immediately be arrested.

“She’s still not feeling great, but I know she wants to get this done,” Gillian said, seeming happy to be taking care of her sister.

They hadn’t always gotten along when they were younger, so I had to admit I was surprised to see her buzzingaround the room, cleaning up, before going into the bedroom and then returning with a smile.

“She's getting dressed,” Gillian said.

I watched her curiously. “How are your parents?” I asked, not sure how to make small talk with someone I hadn’t seen since she was a kid.

“Okay, last I heard,” she replied with a shrug. “We don’t really talk much anymore.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s for the best,” she said, smiling at me. “I want you to know, I’m really grateful that you’ve been helping Lexie out, giving her a place to stay, a job...”

“She earned it,” I said firmly, and I really believed that. Even though she didn’t technically pay rent, Lexie had more than made up for that by being so great at the Pig, and at the grocery store. She’d filled two positions that might have taken weeks to fill.

“I’m sure she has,” Gillian answered, and she bit her lip as if she wanted to say something else. I was about to ask her what it was when Lexie walked into the living room, looking pale.

I went to her immediately. “Are you okay?” I asked in a low tone.

“I’m fine,” she said, her voice raspy. “Just a stomach bug.”

I frowned, suspecting more that it was stress than anything else. Lexie had always been susceptible to stress-related illnesses.

“Are you sure you want to do this today? We could reschedule?—”