Page 108 of Bourbon and Secrets

He cuts himself off, and I instantly know it’s because of what she witnessed the night that Tullis died. The fact that it was Waz King who killed him.

Glancing at Ace, he says, “There’s more going on than I even know about, only that Maggie isn’t safe staying here. Waz King might be dead, but...”

Ace finishes his sentence, “But Wheeler isn’t.”

“The Calloway girls need some time.” Griz continues while watching my reaction, but I feel frozen in place. “To visit their past and get right with it. I don’t know what story will come out of tonight. That’s going to be up to them. For now, the cover story is that Maggie is in the ICU.”

Griz grips my shoulder, sitting on the chair next to me. I’m trying to work through all the things he’s said. And all the things he may not be saying.

“Tell me she’s coming back, Griz,” I say quietly to him. “She wouldn’t just leave.”

Instead of answering me, he says, “If she’s fallen for you the way I think she has...”

I pull off my glasses, smiling to myself as I think about what she whispered to me. Words I hadn’t realized I was so eager to hear.

Griz gives me a smile. “Then she’ll come back and be a part of this family,” he says assuredly. “My granddaughters think she’s their soulmate—women, let alone Foxx women, are never wrong.”

I look down at my hands, my left ring finger bare, and it’s freeing. This morning I decided to keep it off. It’s the first time I’ve gone out without my gold band knowing I wasn’t going to put it back on. The girls hadn’t noticed, but I was okay if they had. I hadn’t worn it for any other reason than for them.

“People always think that you get one great love of your life, but I think whatever asshat said that never considered all thedifferent kinds of love that could show up over the course of a lifetime.”

My eyes water. I don’t want to fall apart here, but I killed a man tonight. And while I should feel some sort of way about it, the only thing I can think about is I won’t be okay ifshedoesn’t come walking back out here.

Griz wipes his hand along his thick mustache.“I’ve been lucky enough to raise you and your brothers. Your father before that. I’ve had two exceptional women come into my life and love me in ways I never deserved, but had it anyway. And then you went ahead and had two beautiful girls who ended up being two more loves of my life.”

I lean forward, elbows on my knees as I take a grounding breath. “Loving someone just for them to leave?—”

He squeezes the back of my neck, cutting me off. “When someone feels right, you lean into it. Loving someone again doesn’t mean one has to be better or stronger. If you’re smart, you’ll fall in love as many times as the world will allow—sometimes, it’s with the same person and all the new versions of each other that grow over the years. And for others, who experience loss or goodbyes, it’s when someone new shows up, shakes you up, and all of a sudden, things feel a whole lotta right. Don’t think for one second that loving Faye isn’t the bravest thing you’ve ever done. Don’t give up on her yet.”

Chapter 40

Faye

“You and Lincoln Foxx?”Bea says with a side glance.

“That’s what I said,” Maggie adds from the front seat.

“Not surprised. They have that way about them, those Foxx boys.”

“I came back for a job and for Maggie. Lincoln ended up being...a bonus,” I tell them with a shrug, not able to hide my smile.

They both sniff out a laugh. And then Harper adds, “All of my bonuses ended up being Jelly of the Month clubs, if you catch my drift.”

“The last bonus I had, I faked,” Maggie sighs. But before I can even get a laugh out, Harper cuts the wheel into a private airfield and pulls right up to a small plane that looks like it’s fueled and ready to start taxing.

“I understand the appeal. Really, I do.” Harper hops out of the truck and adds, “Griz wasn’t too rough on the eyes back inthe day.” She blows out a plume of smoke as I help my sister out of the truck and we hustle toward the private plane.

A bulky pilot stands at the end of the two boarding stairs with his arms crossed. “Harper, you realize I’m not your personal pilot, right? They have services for that. Your branch of government, in fact, has a fleet of airplanes and pilots for this kind of thing.”

“And yet, here you are, Riggs,” she claps back as she moves up the stairs. Over her shoulder, she says, “Henry, this is Faye and Maggie. You never saw them. This is off the books.” She flicks her clove. “You know how that goes, right?”

Whatever history exists between them has him grunting to himself and giving Maggie and me nothing more than a quick nod.

Five hours later, after a fairly long flight and a short drive, we pull off the stretch of road. With nothing more than flat lands on either side and mountains in front of us, we park along the front of a small square diner with a sign that reads: Hideaway. At just past 7:30 in the morning local time, it looks closed. Except for the one car parked in the front and a tawny-colored horse tied up on a pole.

Bea shifts the truck into park and opens her door. “Maybe you girls want to grab a coffee. And then, Faye, you can decide what you’d like to do.” She stretches her arms above her head and pulls out another clove. “You’ve got twenty-minutes, and then decide if you’re feeling like heading back, or if you’d like to stay and explore what Montana has to offer.”

Maggie clears her throat and whispers, “This is real, right? I’m not in some post-life haze where I think it’s real and I’m dead?”

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