Page 77 of Scatter the Bones

“No. I’m at the clubhouse.”

Well, at least that’s something. Maybe his club brothers can help him sort through things better than I can. It still stings, though.

“Good,” I murmur, trying to be supportive and hide my hurt.

“I, uh, thought about what you said. A lot.”

My stomach clenches. I said a lot of things. This isn’t a goodbye call, is it?

“And I’m meeting up with Cain today. After church. I’ll talk to him about the job, apartment, see what his plans are and stuff…”

Relief washes through me so fast I forget to breathe.

I press my hand to my chest, fingers curling into the fabric of my blouse. That couldn’t have been easy for him.

He’s doing it anyway.

“I’m glad,” I say. “Really. That’s great. I know it’s hard. I… I’m proud of you.”

The words are out before I can stop them. God, I wish I could see his face right now. Gauge his reaction.

He’s quiet for a second. “Nah, you were right.” Another pause. “Thank you.”

“For?”

“Everything. Listening to me.” He lets out a short, self-deprecating scoff. “Answering the phone now.”

My throat tightens, but before I can respond, a dozen motorcycle engines roar to life in the background, drowning out everything else.

“Hang on,” he yells. “Let me go in the garage.”

“No, it’s okay,” I say quickly, raising my voice in case he can’t hear me. “I have to finish setting up anyway. And I need to talk to my dad about a few things.”

The background noise fades a little, like he ducked into a quieter spot. “All right. I’ll… I’ll catch you later, okay?”

“Yeah. Okay.” I hesitate, wishing I could see his face, reach through the line, touch him. “Be careful.”

“I will.” A breath. “Margot?”

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

The line clicks. Silence wraps around me, thicker than before.

I tuck the phone into my pocket, my chest tight, and force my feet to move.

There’s still so much work to do.

It’s not until I’m brushing the final touches of blush on Mrs. Beckett’s cheeks that it hits me—we never said when we’ll see each other again.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Jigsaw

I stareat the screen after the call ends.Shit.Why didn’t I say more? Promise to come see her tonight. Or at least make a plan for when I’m going to see her again.

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