Page 26 of By the Letter

“Yes?”

I cleared my throat and tried to peer around her. She wasn’t especially tall or wide but managed to block everything out behind her.

“Is Shira here? I’m Roman W—”

“Oh, I know who you are, and I can’t even begin to fathom what you’re doing on my friend’s doorstep. Did you come to take something else from her? Humiliate her some more? Sorry, but you’ll have to wait at least forty-eight hours after her last hospitalization.”

“I’m not here to antagonize her, but I do need to speak to her.”

She arched a brow. “About what?”

“Look, I get you need to protect your friend, but what I need to talk to her about is personal.”

“Not gonna happen, buddy.” She stared me down, folding her arms over her chest. If I’d wanted to, I could have picked her up and set her aside, but the chances of coming away with both hands were undoubtedly low. “Move along.”

I decided to try a different tactic. “If you won’t let me see her, can you pass along a message for me? Then Shira can decide what she wants to do. Tell her Wim is here.”

Her eyes narrowed, and for a moment, I thought she would slam the door in my face. In the end, that was exactly what she did, but first, she told me to wait while she spoke to Shira.

My head was a riot of thoughts and a tangle of emotions, none of which I could firmly latch onto. The blue-haired woman kept me hanging on Shira’s porch for so long I was on the verge of giving up and forming a new game plan when the door swung open again.

This time, it was Shira in the doorway.

With her ribbons of ebony hair spilling around her shoulders, bare except for the thin straps of her tank top, I recognized her immediately, not as Shira but as my Goldie. I felt like an utter idiot. In all the time we’d worked down the hall from one another, how had I not seen it?

I said the first thing that popped into my head. “Heeyyy, Goldie.”

Eyes rounding in panic, her hands flew to her mouth as she gagged, then she spun and ran away.

Guess I know how she feels about the news.

Chapter Eleven

Roman

With the door hangingopen and no blue-haired woman around to stop me, I stepped inside, carefully closing the door behind me. The sounds of Shira retching traveled through the house as if she were in the same room. The reason for the insane acoustics became apparent as I entered the living room. The walls were barren, and a couch was the only furniture. The dining area was equally empty—no table at all. Was she moving?

A minute later, the blue-haired woman emerged from a hallway, her brows angry strikes of lightning over stormy eyes.

“Shira will be out after she cleans up. Your presence made her vomit. She hasn’t done that since her doctor gave her the good meds yesterday. Take that news however you’d like. Personally,I hope.” She jerked her hand toward the lone couch. “Sit down. No use in looming like that.”

“I’m not looming.” I shook my head, wondering why the hell I was defending myself to a stranger, then I took a seat, as ordered.

She exhaled, glancing toward the hallway. Somewhere back there, water was running. At least my presence was no longer making Shira throw up.

Hands on her hips, Shira’s friend addressed me. “I’m Bea Novak, Shira’s best friend. She doesn’t owe you anything, but for some reason, she’s agreed to talk to you. She’s told me all about you, and I will not stand for you being a dick to her one more time.”

“Fair enough. I don’t intend on being a dick.”

“Sure you don’t.” There was nowhere else for Bea to sit, so she perched on the arm of the couch opposite me.

I rubbed my sweaty palms on my legs, glancing around again. There wasnothinghere.

“Why is this house so empty?” I asked, unable to contain my curiosity.

Bea scoffed, her hands balling into fists. “You should ask Shira’s sweet little stepdaughter.”

I cocked my head. “Francesca?” Usually, I was more on the ball, but damn, a lot of information had been dumped on me at once. My brain was struggling to wrap around what was going on. “She told me Shira wouldn’t let her in the house or allow her to have any of her father’s things…”

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