Page 19 of The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland
Ah, damn it, what an asshole move. Minna hadn’t deserved that.Sorry. Not a good time tho.
She should send something else, explain herself.
But she couldn’t.
If only it were tomorrow, so Beatrice could leave this room and this island.
Perched on the edge of the bed, she straightened her spine.She’d leave today, no matter what. Shecouldstart a new life. And shewould.New apartment. Maybe a new part of town. Closer to Iris, maybe? She didn’t love Redondo Beach (who did?), but it would be a place to start over.
She tapped her phone, searching for a plane ticket, but no, apparently she’d missed the only ferry that could get her to the airport today in time for the only possible flight. That goddamned sleeping pill. If she hadn’t taken it, she would have had these thoughts at three in the morning, and she’d be halfway home now.
Or halfway to somewhere.
Impossible. It was all impossible. Beatrice wanted to kick the walls, to howl into a pillow, to light something precious on fire just to watch the flame devour it.
What a fool she was. What an idiot. She’d always considered herself a strong feminist. She made her own money. She kept a separate bank account and maintained her own savings and retirement accounts. But apparently, trained from birth by a liar, she was also someone who’d believe anything a man told her.
Fine.Beatrice would make a plan, a good, solid, color-coded, spreadsheetedplanto come back to this island, after she sorted out her life. Then she and Cordelia could get to know each other like the adults they were. For now, she’d hide in this burrow like a scared, furious mole until it was time to catch the ferry out tomorrow.
At noon, there was another knock. In case it was Minna, Beatrice stayed silent.
The knocking got louder and more insistent. The housekeeper again? Needing desperately to fold a towel into a swan?
The tapping graduated to pounding.
“Holy crap,what?”
The voice was low. “It’s Reno.”
Okay, that one she hadn’t seen coming. Beatrice rose and went to the door, but she didn’t open it. “Having a pretty horrific day. Can this wait till later?”
“It’s about your niece, and no, it can’t.”
My niece.A tiny glow of warmth rose in Beatrice’s chest.
Reluctantly, she tugged open the door. “How did you get my room number?” Minna had known it, too. Wasn’t that the kind of thing a hotel kept private?
“Small town.” Reno strode in without hesitation. Against the deep olive of her skin, her gaze was icy, the swirl of blue tattoo ink that ran up the right side of her neck just as cold. “I don’t care what you decide to do about your sister. That’s up to you two. But you don’t get to hurt Minna.”
“Hurther?”
“I’m warning you. You’ll have to go through me first.” Reno did look formidable. Her head was shaved on both sides, leaving a thatch of dark curls on top.
“Hang on. I did shout at her through the door, but—”
“If you can’t accept her being trans, you can’t be in her life. Period.”
Beatrice gasped. “Oh, god,no. Did she think I didn’t accept her?”
The frosted scowl grew deeper. “You run away the second her grandmother outs her, then you shout at her to go away. She’s devastated.”
“I swear to you, I’m currently furious at everyoneexcepther and Cordelia. And you, I guess.”
Reno blinked. “Oh.”
“I’m not angry at Minna. Not in the slightest.”
“Well.” Reno rubbed the side of her neck where the swirling tattoos rose to twist behind her ear. “You better clear that up, then.”
