Page 20 of Little Empty Promises

I shot him a wink.“And I might kill you if you don’t.”

“If I’m being honest, I’ve wanted to talk to you about it.”

“So talk.If Phoebe gets upset because you did, I’ll deal with her.”

Another pause and then, “She had a miscarriage, Georgiana.”

A miscarriage.

I hung my head.

Of all the things I thought he would say, Phoebe having a miscarriage wasn’t one.

“When did it happen?”I asked.

“Last week.”

“I didn’t even know she was pregnant.I don’t think anyone did.”

“We were planning on telling everyone once we hit the three-month mark, which would have been next week.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“I didn’t even know the two of you were trying for a baby.”

Phoebe had been married once before, to a man named Jack.He was her high school sweetheart and a man I thought she’d be with for the rest of her life.He’d been murdered four years earlier, shot in the backyard one night while their daughter Lark looked on.She was seven years old at the time.

As the killer was making his exit, he’d spotted Lark staring at him through her bedroom window.Knowing she was a witness to the murder, he abducted her.At the time, I was off grid, mourning my own daughter, who’d died in a tragic pool accident.Prior to her death, I’d worked as a detective for San Luis Obispo County.After, I detached from everyone … until I learned Lark had been kidnapped.It compelled me to return home to Cambria.Lark’s kidnapping had given me purpose and a new lease on life.Not too long after, Lark was found, alive and as well as could be expected at the time.She was eleven now, and after four years of therapy, she was starting to thrive again.

After Jack’s death, I worried my sister would never be interested in finding love again.And then Foley came along, showing her that love could be found when you least expected it.

“How is Phoebe doing?”I asked.

“Not good.I hope you don’t mind me saying, but she shared something with me about you.”

“I’m guessing she told you about my miscarriages.”

He nodded.“It’s one of the reasons I thought we should talk.You know what she’s going through.”

“They happened a long time ago, but I still think about it at times.The pain never goes away—not all the way.”

“If anyone can get through to her right now, I believe it’s you.”

“Why hasn’t she reached out to me about it?”

“She wants to, but she hesitates because she remembers what it was like for you when it happened.She’s afraid if she tells you, you’ll relive those memories all over again.”

“I’ve mourned their losses, and I’ve done what I can to move past them.You were right by telling me, and I appreciate you for it.”

He laced his hands behind his head.“What will you do now that you know?”

“I’d like to speak to her.She’ll need to know you told me, of course, but Phoebe is an understanding person.If it does upset her, she won’t stay that way for long.”

“If she’s angry at me, we’ll get through it.I've tried everything I can think of to support her during this time.She’s just so despondent.I don’t know what else to do.”

“Leave it to me,” I said.

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