Page 46 of Control Line

“He won’t be, not this season. He cashed in a favor and traded duty with me. Although, I would’ve done it for an even exchange, bet. Don’t tell him that, though. Most complain about Yogi, but it’s a pretty sweet set-up.” He slipped into an easy flirtation. “Even sweeter with you next door, bet.”

She smiled, but it wasn’t genuine. The smile wasn’t for him, it was for finally figuring out why they called him Gambler. She hadn’t spent enough time with him to notice before. . .bet.

Another non-shocking shock for the day.Barney ran as far away from her as he could get. Her parting words must’ve been too much for him.

“You wanna stay for a bite? I make a mean burger, bet.”

Robotically, she answered in the negative and turned to leave the same way she entered. Gambler’s invitation to leave the door unlocked for her to use at her discretion followed her.

Numbness gripped her in its hold, and she was grateful for it. She made it back to the couch before she took advantage of that numbness and began to read.

Billy’s words read like a work of fiction, a chapter from one of his books. There was a disconnect to it. Four pages of creative writing about how he stole another man’s life.

It didn’t even mention Zee. It was a joke of a last letter. If Zee hadn’t come to Sunnyville, against his desires, she would’ve thought it was something he wanted published rather than a confession.

One part in particular that clawed up her heart; Barney had a kid, legally anyway. It was his name on the birth certificate. That was Billy’s biggest regret, not having his own name on the birth certificate.

Wow, after all the shit you did to me, to Barney, to those women and children, that’s your biggest regret? The only one worth mentioning?

Even though she and Barney were through, she would do what she could to get his life back before she moved on from a town she never should have come to. Tomorrow she’d take the urn, the papers Barney left from the funeral home, and Billy’s letter to Barney’s attorney.

He spoke about his lawyer often and how much work it was to get his life back. A life she thought she’d get to be a part of.

Even though she’d slept all day, she curled up in bed hoping to sleep the pain away. As wrong as it was, she grabbed some pills left over from her dental surgery to get a few blessed hours. She knew the pain and sorrow would return with wakefulness, but she’d chase those blessed hours of oblivion anyway.

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