Page 27 of Bad Rebound

Andhe did that for Edy—Mrs. Hutchins—herself.

Some women might love that.

Teresa felt smothered by it, and she wasn’t even living it.

If shewereliving it?

God, it would be a hundred times worse.

A thousand ropes wrapping tight, slowly squeezing the air out of her.

“But I’ll just say this one thing and let it settle, okay?” Cora smoothed a hand over Teresa’s arm.

No, that was not okay. Verynotokay. Because Teresa knew that Cora was going to lay out some knowledge, and it was going to make sense and be logical and thus, it was going to be very difficult to ignore.

But she wasn’t a coward.

So, she just lifted her chin and said, “Lay it on me.”

Cora smiled gently.

Then she laid it out.

“You and I are the same in a lot of ways. We’ve fought for our lives, worked our asses off, and don’t want someone coming in and taking over.”

Teresa nodded.

“That’s fair. That’s reasonable. Hell, that makes absolutely perfect sense.”

Another nod.

“What doesn’t, though,” Cora said softly. “Is when we forbid ourselves from having something, just because we’re afraid of what change it might bring.”

Teresa sucked in a breath as that hit hard.

“Whether it’s buying a home or taking a new job or investing in your own business.” A beat. “Or even, if it’s investing in a relationship that might not be what you thought you wanted…but is exactly what you need.”

A squeeze of her arm, and then they were joined by Rafe and walking to their car.

While Teresa strode silently beside them and absorbed the blows.

Because it made sense. It was logical.

It was reasonable.

She and Cora were the same in a lot of ways.

The difference was that Cora hadn’t watched her mother slowly suffocate in her life, slowly disappear in a reality that had taken every bit of light out of her.

Hadn’t watched those ropes tighten a bit more every year.

Hadn’t spent her entire life watching her mother die by inches.

Or maybe that had just been Teresa.

Nine

Jeremy

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