Page 49 of Control

“We did that for at least the last six years or so,” Bethany added.

My heart hurt for these two women. Before Annie had been murdered, none of them likely even considered that there’d come a time when their worlds could be turned upside down, that something that had been so common and routine in their lives would be so different. I would have been willing to bet they weren’t thinking it’d be a possibility that one of them would die so young.

“Wow,” I murmured. “Have you two continued that tradition since Annie…”

“We have. Our conversations aren’t the same as they used to be. Now, we spend our time talking about her. It hasn’t been easy.”

“I can only imagine how painful it is to do that without her. She seemed like such a kind, gentle, quiet, and reserved person. Was she always like that when it was just the three of you together?”

Clover laughed through her tears, lifting her hand to swipe at those that had spilled down her cheeks. “Annie was absolutely the most reserved of the three of us, but she was the one who could make anyone smile. She was happy all the time, and her kindness knew no bounds.”

If there was one thing I could feel good about regarding this whole situation, it was learning that Annie seemed to love her life in the short years that she had. Of course, that led me to drawing all sorts of conclusions about what could have happened to her. She might have just been unlucky—a woman in the wrong place at the wrong time. But it was also possible she was so happy in her life and somebody else wasn’t. To thinksomeone could be so jealous to take an innocent woman’s life was unsettling. And while I guessed it was still a possibility, I hadn’t heard any evidence yet of Annie being at odds with a single person.

Believing this was a reasonable time to steer the conversation in that direction, I asked, “Was there anything that left her feeling upset at all?”

Bethany didn’t hesitate. “Injustice.”

I should have assumed as much. “That’s why she was so committed to the work she did.”

“Exactly. It bothered her to see anyone suffering. She felt for everyone, especially children, which is why she put so much time and effort into causes that benefitted kids. But overall, she just didn’t like seeing anyone in a situation that she believed could be fixed. She wouldn’t hesitate to step in whenever she thought she could make a difference.”

I slid my eyes to Bethany. “You made mention of wanting to be sure your friend was accurately portrayed. I know there are reporters and journalists who stretch the truth or spin things to paint someone in a bad light. And though I’m not the kind of person who would ever do something like that, I’m not sure I’ve heard a single thing from anyone I’ve spoken to that could be used in a negative manner. It seems as though everyone loved her.”

“That’s because they did,” Clover confirmed. “Even the boyfriends.”

My brows shot up. “Boyfriends? I didn’t know she was dating anyone.”

Clover quickly clarified, “Technically, she wasn’t. Not when she died. Annie was a long-term relationship kind of girl. She only ever had two serious boyfriends.”

“Cole Brown and Mark Watson,” Bethany said, her tone indicating she might have been physically present, but her mind was somewhere else.

“Yeah. She and Cole got together just before she turned twenty, and they stayed together for almost three years before they realized they were better off as friends,” Clover began. “It was cute between them. Sweet, even. He was her first love. The real tragedy, though, was with Mark.”

Confused, I glanced briefly at Ty. This was the first either one of us was hearing anything that could be considered even remotely negative in Annie’s personal life. “What happened between her and Mark?”

“At first, nothing. They were great together. Everyone thought they were going to wind up married. And we were all shocked when they mutually decided to separate about a year ago. It was so sad.”

Seeming to be the one who focused on the negative, Bethany picked up the story from that point. “But what was worse was Mark had left town after their break-up. He was gone for months. Annie seemed to be doing just fine until about…maybe a month or month and a half before she was killed.”

I sat up straighter in my seat, and whether he knew my heart was hammering or not, I didn’t know. But Ty instinctively placed his hand on my jean-clad thigh and squeezed. While I was sure he wanted to simply reassure me, offer comfort, or make me aware that this was important, I was stuck on the feeling of his hand on my leg. God, I loved the way it felt.

It was impossible to ignore, so I had no choice but to try to pretend it wasn’t there and that I wasn’t being affected by it. Fortunately, our server returned with our breakfast and gave me a moment to collect myself. Even with his food in front of him, Ty didn’t remove his hand from my leg.

Focusing my attention on everything else in front of me, I picked up my fork, poked at my eggs, and lifted it toward my mouth. Just before I took that first bite, I asked, “What happened when Mark came back?”

Clover had managed to regain control of her emotions and revealed, “Mark wanted to get back together with her. According to Annie, after all the time apart, Mark realized just how much he loved her, and he was willing to do just about anything to get her back. He wanted to reconcile.”

I tipped my head to the side, genuine curiosity moving through me. “She didn’t?”

Clover shook her head. “No. She felt they had their time together, and it didn’t work out for a reason. They wanted different things, things that he still wasn’t willing to compromise on even after he returned.”

“Like what?”

“She wanted marriage and children.”

“He didn’t?” My head was spinning with all of this new information.

“No. He just wanted her. He’d give her the marriage, but he was adamant about not having children. Annie was never going to give up her dream of becoming a mother.”

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