Page 62 of Little Shattered Dreams

“We can discuss Quinn,” he said, “but while you’re here, why not take a moment to talk about you.”

What was it with these people?

We were in the middle of a murder investigation.

HowIwas feeling could wait.

“What about me?” I asked.

He leaned in. “How are you holding up? You’ve spent these past days focusing on the case. Have you taken any time for yourself?”

“I’ll take time for myself when the case is solved.”

He reached out, grabbing my hands.

Not this again.

“Let’s take a moment to discuss how you’re doing,” he said. “Not long. Just a moment. You’ll feel better. I promise.”

“I feel fine.”

“Why don’t you close your eyes for me?”

“No, thanks,” I said.

For all I knew, Karl was the killer.

If I closed my eyes, there was no telling what he’d do.

I pulled back, releasing my hands from his. “I’m fine, Karl. Am I disappointed that I scared all the guests away this morning? Sure. I know the way I approach people isn’t always right. It’s hard for me to accept when it isn’t.”

“Why?”

“I don’t like to fail, at anything.”

“Does the fact they decided to leave mean you’re a failure?”

“I failed to keep them here, which was the opposite of my intention.”

He crossed his arms and nodded. “What is success without failure? Do you think it’s better to try and fail, or never to try at all?”

“I think it’s better to succeed.”

He smacked a hand to his knee, laughing. “If you had a reset button, a way to go back to this morning and do it all again, knowing what you know now, what would you change?”

A few things.

“Instead of talking the entire time, telling them what I thought they wanted to hear, I should have asked how they were feeling,” I said. “I should have given them a chance to voice their concerns first. Rebecca tried, and all I could think about was how fast I could shut her down before she convinced the others to do the same thing.”

A broad smile crossed Karl’s face. “You’ve given it some thought.”

“It’s been on my mind all day.”

“To me, true failure comes when one doesn’t care about learning from their experiences.Youcare, and that makes all the difference. Life isn’t about being perfect. It’s about growth, slow and continuous. The rabbit in its haste to win the race misses what the turtle takes the time to see.”

“I … thank you, Karl.”

“Thankyou, Georgiana, for opening up to me again.”

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