Page 13 of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

“Still, what could it hurt to go down and check it out?” he said.

I nestled my head under his chin. “I’ll think about it.”

Chapter Five

Colt didn’t have to go into the catering kitchen until early the next afternoon, so we had a lazy morning in the apartment, before he left for work and I headed to my therapy appointment. Amazingly enough, I must have drunk enough water the night before to stave off a hangover. I still hadn’t called the attorney’s office, mostly because I had a feeling Colt was right. Sure, Momma had undoubtedly had her reasons for leaving Sweet Briar, but she’d left that land to me, hadn’t she? And she’d never agreed to sell it. Could she have wanted me to visit?

Instead of scaring me, the mystery intrigued me.

In the span of a few hours, I went from adamantly opposed to going to strongly considering taking a road trip to check it out. Hadn’t Belinda and I been considering a girls’ trip?

When I entered Dr. Norton’s office, I sat in my usual seat, the stuffed chair by the window that overlooked a small fountain, and turned to face her, eager to get her opinion on the subject.

Dr. Norton stood from behind her desk and moved gracefully to her own usual chair, a well-worn, dark brown leather armchair. In the beginning, I’d spent plenty of quiet moments studying the cracks in that chair, sitting in silence as I tried toprocess my heavy emotions. Dr. Norton hadn’t pressed me to speak, saying that sometimes it was important to allow myself to feel the ugly things buried deep under my skin without feeling the need to apologize to the people I loved for feeling them.

“The wounds on your outside might be nearly healed,” she’d said in her warm, nurturing voice. “But the wounds deep down can take so much longer.”

Surprisingly, the fact that she didn’t push, merely accepted what I felt comfortable sharing, had made me trust her more. I’d started spilling my guts about everything—my contentious relationship with my mother, my brother’s deep jealousy and hatred, my father’s multiple betrayals, my guilt over killing him, and my complicated feelings about Colt. And of course, my many, many fears. I’d been making such great progress until that stupid podcast had invaded my life.

“How was your week, Magnolia?” she asked in a warm tone that made me feel like I’d joined a good friend for tea.

“Honestly?” I said. “Shitty. I realized I can’t work at my job anymore, and I was bombarded by a podcaster in a parking lot and froze up like a Butterball turkey.”

Her mouth parted, but she didn’t respond, likely trying to figure out which statement to unpack first. I wasn’t surprised when she settled on the podcasters. “Someone confronted you?”

“At a job, no less. Tilly didn’t handle it well and sent me home.”

Dr. Norton frowned. “She fired you?”

“No, but she told me I was disrupting things, which I was. And business is already hurting. If it gets around that my presence ensures a circus, we’ll lose even more jobs. So it’s easier if I don’t work on-site jobs.”

“So now you’re just working in the kitchen?”

“Looks like it. And no, I don’t have another job lined up. I could try to go back to my old retail job, but I doubt that wouldbe much better. I’d be a spectacle there too, just like when I tried to go back months ago.” I paused. “Belinda thinks I should get away for a while. Where people don’t know me.”

“And how do you feel about that?”

“Part of me wants to go away, although I’d hate for Belinda to be stuck with the expenses since I can’t touch Momma’s life insurance policy. But Idohave another idea for getting money.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh?” Then she tentatively added, “Have you reconsidered doing some of the paid interviews?”

“No.” The relief on her face made me smile. “I just found out that Momma owned property in Alabama. The attorney who notified me told me there’s someone who’s interested in buying it. If I sell the land, I won’t have to worry about money as much. At least temporarily.”

“This is a big decision, Magnolia,” she said softly, looking me in the eye. “You shouldn’t rush into it.”

“Selling the land? I didn’t even know it existed until last night.”

“Which is exactly why you should give it more thought.”

“I’m thinking of going down there and checking it out first,” I said, “if that makes you feel any better. My mother left her hometown after high school and never went back, yet she never sold the property. I didn’t even know she owned it. Why would she keep it?”

“That is a good question. Is that part of the reason you plan to visit?”

“I’d be lying if I said no. There’s a mystery there, and digging into it might help me find out more about my mother.”

Dr. Norton beamed. “You seem excited by the prospect.”

“Yeah,” I said, “I guess I am.”

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