Page 142 of Divorced from Number Thirty-Eight
And it’s…like my ribs are cracking open, my laughter scraping against my grief until I can’t tell which is which.
I bend at the waist and grab my middle, tears streaking down my face, my cheeks aching.
“Umm…” I hear and try to pull it together.
“Shh, Bri,” Luna hisses.
But it’s Harper who moves.
Maybe because my tears of laughter have turned into real tears.
She slips an arm around my shoulders and hugs me tightly.
I hug her back. Me, the shy, formerly distant woman who spends most of her life in front of her computer screen is hugging a woman I’m just starting to know.
But it doesn’t feel strange or wrong.
It just…feels nice to be held.
“I’m sorry,” Bri says when I finally pull back, dashing a hand over either cheek. “That was…”
“Funny,” I murmur, reaching for her hand. “And it’s not you. The last few days have been…a lot. Luna is right. I shouldn’t have done this alone today.”
“Did you find anything?” she asks, her gaze going back to the mess that used to be my house.
I try to put the brightest spin possible on it. “Yeah. I’m super lucky. I did find some stuff.”
Just…not what I was hoping for.
Not Nana’s recipe book.
And no pictures.
And none of my special editions or the copy of the first book I published.
But also…not Nana’s recipes.
I hadn’t realized how much hope I was holding out for them until I searched through the kitchen.
“We brought masks and gloves and stuff,” Bri says as Kailey digs through her purse and offers me a napkin to wipe my eyes. “I’m really good at finding things.”
“She is,” Luna says earnestly.
I scrub at my face. “I bet you are,” I tell Bri. “But can I have a rain check? I think…” I sigh. “Honestly, I think I’ve had enough for today. I’d really love to just eat some of Harper’s delicious food.”
Bri nods quickly.
Kailey moves close.
Harper takes my hand.
But Luna steps right in front of me, studying my face for a long, tense moment.
My pulse speeds…mostly because it’s like she can see into my soul—and if that’s the case then she knows it’s not just the house, the memories, the videos and headlines still circulating the internet.
It’s Gray.
Who hasn’t gotten his head together.
