Page 76 of Reckless Liar

I wiped a tear from my eye. “When did he write this?”

Eloise pursed her lips. “When he was in jail, I think. I found it in a box of stuff he left at my mom’s. When he was in jail was the only time, that I knew of, when he was trying to get sober.”

I stared at the letter in my hand. “He was sober for about six months. He did good for a while.”

Eloise sighed loudly, she let her hands drop down from the chains on the swings, she held her hand out and I put the letter in it. “I found one for me too. It doesn’t really apply though. He wrote it when I was twelve. It’s about not protecting me from my mom. There’s not much Max could have done about that.”

She looked over the letter again. “You know, I thought what you guys had was so romantic. I thought,when I grow up, I want to have a relationship like that. I want to love someone the way Max loves Ana.”

“You will,” I told her.

“There’s always a price though isn’t there? That was something mom taught us. Nothing is free, we all have to pay our price and some people pay more.”

I wasn’t sure who she was saying paid more, me or Max. She handed the letter back to me. “Sorry I read it. I couldn’t help myself. I was too excited to see his handwriting again.”

“It’s okay, I get it.” I told her, putting my hand on top of hers.

“Are you really dating Xander?”

I paused as I considered lying to her, not wanting to hurt her further, but she wasn’t the baby I helped feed anymore. She was eighteen now, practically an adult. I thought about Scarlett’s words to me outside the funeral home so many years before.

Eloise is tougher than you think, and you were not her mother, Ana. Max was not her father. It’s not your responsibility to take care of her.

I nodded. “Kind of, yeah. I don’t really know, but there’s something there.”

“He’s a good guy. You deserve a good guy.” She looked away, “Judging from the letter, maybe my brother wasn’t such a good guy.”

“Max was a good guy, too. He made some bad choices and unfortunately, they cost him his life. I always felt that he was a good guy, though. I hope you know that. People don’t fall into good and bad categories like that. Life isn’t black and white. He made mistakes, I made mistakes. He wasn’t any worse or any better than either of us. No one is.”

“Aren’t you angry with him?”

“Honestly, some days I am. But most days no, I’m not.”

“I’m mad at him. For leaving me alone to help my mom. For not being here when I graduated high school. For not seeing me finish growing up. That he only knew me up to seventeen. It hurts.”

“No matter what happens with me and Xander. I don’t think I’ll ever stop loving your brother.”

“I know that. Never for a second did I doubt that.” She tilted her head to the side. “You know Xander was like a brother to me too. So, if there is anyone who’d be a replacement for Max, I guess it’d be him.”

“Oh, Eloise, I’m not trying to replace Max. I would never do that.”

She nodded her head at me, her eyes wet with tears. “He was special, wasn’t he?”

“Max was everything to me.”

She put her hand out between us and I took it in mine. We sat there on the swings together, all the words on the letter between us.

Barbaraslappedthechartdown on the counter in front of me with a loud thwack, making me jump. I shoved Max’s letter down under a file as quickly as I could. She stared me down in that long cold stare that made me want to confess things I’d never done.

“You’re on room seven. I’m done with stupid girls today,” she barked.

I fought to keep my face blank, ignoring the barb I was sure she’d aimed at me. I grabbed the clipboard and walked to the room, glancing at the intake paperwork.

The second I walked in I could see why Barbara gave me this patient. The young woman sat on the edge of the bed, a pair of oversized sunglasses still on her head. Her swollen ankle was propped up on several pillows, her uninjured foot was still clad in a large wedge heel.

“Fucking finally!” she huffed. “My ankle hurts like a bitch! Can I get something for the pain?”

I walked to her side as I continued looking at her chart. “I’m sure we can, let me ask a few questions before the doctor is in.”

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