Page 71 of Wild Dreams

When the door finally opened, Marigold was still wearing her work clothes.

"What's going on?" I stepped inside and shut the door, concern ramping up. Usually by now she was in sweats, looking adorably rumpled. It was my favorite look on her. She was warm and inviting, but tonight there was a wall up, and I wasn't sure why.

My stomach dropped. Was she going to tell me she couldn't go on like this with me? I wasn't ready for this to end, but I knew I wasn't capable of giving her what she wanted. That part of me belonged to the police department and the town.

Marigold moved into the living room where a movie was playing on the screen. She sat on the couch. There was an empty ice cream cartoon on the coffee table.

I sat next to her, waiting for her to talk when she was ready.

"I talked to my parents about the house."

"Oh." I couldn't anticipate what her parents would say or do. It was usually the opposite of what I'd expect from loving parents.

"They're going to list it."

"That's good, right? Then you don't have to maintain it anymore and deal with the contractors to fix it."

Marigold sighed. "I don't know why I'm upset. It's just that they said they kept it for me. As if I'd want to live in that house with my family."

I frowned. "That house doesn't hold good memories for you."

"That and I always thought they kept the house so they could come back. It solidified what I already knew; they never had any intention of coming back. They're moving on, buying a house in Arizona. It makes sense logically. I don't know why I let them get to me. I should know by now they don't feel things like other people do."

"It doesn't mean you're not an amazing person. They just can't see it."

Marigold's face fell. "I think that's it. I can’t help but feel like there's something wrong with me."

"You’re hurt.”

"I'll give myself tonight to wallow. Then tomorrow, I'm moving on. I'll call the Realtor and let her handle it with my parents."

"You should tell your parents to hire the realtor too. It's their house."

She chewed her lip. "I told them I would."

"If dealing with the house is going to bring up bad memories, maybe you should let someone else handle it." It would be different if it were my parents who needed help. My parents had always been there for me. But Marigold had a one-sided relationship with hers. She sought their attention, and they withheld it. "It's up to you, but I think you'd feel better to just leave it to them."

Marigold blew out a breath. "I think you're right."

I gathered her to me then, and she tucked her head under my chin. I hated that her parents still had the power to hurt her. But she was a good person. She felt a lot. And I knew she'd move on from this a better person. "We'll get through this."

I don't know why I saidwe,but it felt right in the moment. I wanted to be here for her like this. I wanted her to confide in me. And if her parents ever showed up in town, I had a few choice words for them. I know my parents did too.

They could have done better by Marigold. "It's your parents' loss, you know. They don't deserve to have you as a daughter."

She snuggled in more deeply, and I just held her, pulling her so she sat across my lap. I hated that they had the power to hurt her.

Eventually, she asked, "Do you want to go to bed?"

"I'll take Oakley out. Why don't you take a bath, and I'll join you in a minute."

"That sounds perfect."

She hadn't cried, but she still seemed down. I wanted to turn this around for her, but I couldn't. She needed to feel these feelings in order to heal and move on.

I let Oakley out, then locked up for the night. The door to her bathroom was ajar, so I kicked off my shoes and shucked off my clothes before joining her.

Her head rested on the lip of the tub. "This was a good idea."

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