Page 123 of Ward Willing
I open and close my mouth. Zoe’s eyes go wide, and she looks to me for guidance. And…fuck.The last thing I want to do is lie, but this is the exact opposite way I ever wanted her to find out. The mediator in me comes out, and I let out a heavy sigh before I take a step toward her.
She backs up, and the motion sends an icy shard of doubt through me.
“You did. And I can explain everything, but?—”
Her face scrunches up and she gives me her most venomous look. “You’re a monster,” she hisses. “How long has this been going on? Since she was underage? I’m not opposed to involving the authorities.”
“No!” Zoe shouts. “No, nothingeverhappened until I was eighteen!”
Carolina looks at Zoe and her expression softens, but only a little. “Oh, Zoe. It’s called grooming,” she adds, turning and glaring at me again.
“N–no,” I sputter, throwing my hands out. “I didn’tgroomher.”
Carolina holds her hand out to stop me from continuing. “I don’t want to hear your excuses. My brother gave youone jobwhen he died. He’d be rolling around in his grave if he knew you’d come onto his daughter when she was barely legal.”
Her words cut into me, slicing through every insecurity, every fear, every guilty thought I’ve ever had, until my insides and my emotions are completely shredded. Something low and heavy sinks to the bottom of my stomach, and when I open my mouth to ask her if I can explain again, she grabs Zoe’s hand.
“Are you okay?” she asks, her voice a low murmur.
Zoe yanks her hand away. “You’re beingcruel,” she says, eyes glittering with tears. “I’m an adult. And I’m in l–” She stops herself, eyes roaming to me for a second before turning back to Carolina. “If you only knew–”
“I can’t do this,” Carolina says, stepping away from both of us. It’s then that I see the tears tracking down her cheeks. “My brother would be so disappointed.”
In one swift motion, she turns and stalks out of the bar.
My whole body feels as if I’ve been dipped into a bucket of ice, and my eyes catch on Zoe’s hands curling at her side.
“Fuck,” she whispers, turning to face me. She swipes under her eyes and shrugs. “Well, that went well,” she says, her voice thick as she sniffs. “Fuck it. We can talk to her next week. Let her cool down. Explain the situation.” Stepping into me, her arms wrap around my waist. “I don’t want it to ruin our weekend,” she adds, voice soft.Vulnerable.
I squeeze my eyes shut as doubt rushes through me. It sits like a stone inside of me, too heavy to ignore. But as Zoe’s hands squeeze me once, and I inhale the scent of violets, some of the tension dissipates.
Carolina was surprised. She’ll come around.
We stand there for a few minutes as I sway us to the ambient music. Finally, Zoe pulls away.
“Let’s go.”
“Now?” I ask, looking around for Miles and Stella.
Zoe must notice my hesitation, because she pulls her phone out of her pocket and quickly taps a text out before a loud whooshing sound permeates the air around us.
“There. I told them we’d had an unfortunate run-in with Carolina, and that we weren’t in the mood to stay.” Swallowing, she takes my hand. “It’s not a lie.”
I’m in a daze as she leads me through the bar to the exit. I follow her out the door to the parking lot, where I grab our bags out of habit and wrap my coat around her shoulders. The walk to the hotel is quiet–but not in a comfortable way. I swear I keep seeing Zoe open and close her mouth in my peripheral, but neither of us says a word until we check in.
Unlike last time, Zoe is quiet as I talk to Barbara, and as we head up to the ninth floor, she squeezes my hand once.
Inside the room, I close and lock the door slowly, my mind still reeling from Carolina’s words.
You’re a monster.
My brother would be so disappointed.
I swallow and close my eyes briefly, taking a steadying breath before turning around to face Zoe.
The sight before me makes me nearly fall over.
Zoe is kneeling next to the couch, palms up, looking down at the ground.
