Page 106 of Love Notes & Lifelines
“Why didn’t you tell me about your mom?” I keep my tone light. I don’t want to sound accusing, but it slips through anyway.
Her shoulder brushes mine when she shrugs.
“I wasn’t sure how you’d handle it. From what I’d seen and heard in the office, you don’t do family stuff, and then when I saw you exit Cally’s room in Sailport Bay, well, I was afraidyou’d fire me. My mom’s diagnosis is terminal. I had no way of knowing how you’d process that, and I really need this job. And the truth is, giving you a little information would have spiraled until I had no choice but to tell you about Silas, and that was a shame I couldn’t bear.”
My eyes prickle as though they’re full of sand—it hurts. But her points are valid and what I feared.
“I’m sorry I put you in a position where you felt you couldn’t trust me with something so important in your life.”
“It’s not just you,” she whispers. “Trust and fear are hard to separate sometimes.”
I bump my body into hers. “We have that in common then.”
She nods, but the silence cloaks us both in regret.
“How long does she have?”
“I’m not sure. She still has some good days, but not as many. We could have months or weeks, there’s just no way to know.” Her voice breaks, and I pull her in close enough for her to rest her head on my chest.
This is where she belongs.
“You’re close with her.” I guess.
“She was my best friend—sometimes my only friend. She was a single mom, and we were a team. I’ve always felt like the adult because we couldn’t be more different, but she was amazing, Beck. Everything good the world has to offer, and she’s lost it all one memory at a time while people like Silas live and breathe cruelty into an already bitter world.”
“It’s not fair.”
She nods against my chest, and I play with the ends of her hair. They’re soft as they fall through my fingers, but I’m only stalling now. I’d already come to this decision while she was in the shower.
“Let’s bring her home.”
Stella’s entire body goes rigid, and she holds her breath. I sit quietly until she pushes against me. Her eyes are sad. “What do you mean, ‘bring her home’?”
Her amber gaze searches my face, and if I’d had any doubts left, this is the expression that would have obliviated them into the ether.
“Bring her home with us to Sailport Bay. The…” I choke when emotions stick in my throat. “The library is still a functioning hospital room. We can bring her nurse with us or hire a new one.”
She’s shaking her head and rubbing her temples with her fingertips. “I can’t afford to do that.”
Taking her hand in mine, I use my thumb to rub small circles on her soft skin, hating the marks that show on her wrists. “I’m offering you a chance to spend time with her every day. Don’t you want that for however long she has left?”
“Of course I do.” Her words are barely audible. “That’s what I was doing, but you gave me a way to pay for Mindful Moments and I took it. You’ve already done so much. I’m not working three jobs. I’m sleeping. I’m?—”
“Sad,” I interrupt. “So let me do this for you. Then you won’t have to make these long trips and it can be our first step in moving forward—together.”
“Can I think about it?”
I shake my head. “Do you trust me?”
“I want to, but?—”
“Then accept this gift. We have other obstacles, and my gut says we don’t have a lot of time. This is an easy fix. I need you by my side—to be a united front to face down Danica.”
“Did something happen?” Her voice goes from terrified to mama bear and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t settle over me like a weighted blanket.
“Tabby sent a text message. She’s friends with Danica’s housekeeper’s daughter.” I give her a minute for that connection to settle in. “The word is I’ll be served with papers this week. We need to prepare for a custody battle because Danica won’t play fair even if Cally named me as the girl’s guardian—because Danica doesn’t give a shit who gets hurt.”
Stella’s demeanor shifts right before my eyes. The fear and trepidation of a moment ago are replaced with sheer determination and a fire I rarely get to see. And it’s sexy as hell.
