I watch her carefully. Sorry for what I experienced, or sorry about jumping to conclusions? Maybe it doesn’t matter. “I don’t talk about it because the truth affects people I love, and they deserve better.”
“Greta,” she says in a soft voice. “And…your brother, right?”
My chest buzzes with a chill. “Kelly too.”
Her eyes turn anguished. “Only to have her betray you like that…God.” She swallows hard.
“I know I’m not perfect, Meg. But I would never, ever do something like that to you.”
She rocks in place, licking her lips. “I’m sorry I didn’t trust you. Secrets…are hard for me.”
“They’re hard for me too.”
She reaches her hand across the gap. “I won’t ask about it again.”
I slip my hand into hers. the contact sending a ripple of warmth beneath my skin, melting the chill that’s invaded my core. “Ask if you need to. And I’ll do my best.”
Our eyes lock, making my heart kick into my ribs. She rolls forward and crawls right onto my lap, wrapping her body around mine.
Fuck, it feels good. I cradle her against me. The tension in my shoulders and the chill beneath my skin starts to ease. I lift her up and carry her to the bed, then lay down with her on top of me.
“It was Russel,” she says, settling in. “He had the picture.”
Zero surprise. But there’s an added anxiety flooding in thanks to what Everett shared. Something’s not right with this guy. “Can you maybe not work with him for a while?” Or ever.
She gives a huff. “I could file a complaint, but it’s risky.”
I lean sideways so I can catch her eye, but her gaze flits away.
“I did something…unforgivable. On a flight.”
I comb through her silky hair, letting it slip through my fingers, racking my brain for what this could possibly be. “That sounds like a very big burden.”
Her chest swells against mine with an inhale, and she relaxes again. “It was the night I left San Diego. I took a flight for one of my crewmates who needed to give it up last minute. It made me feel useful, you know? And I thought being at work would help me feel…I don’t know…less alone?”
“Alone? Where were your friends?” Here we are, back at the question I asked weeks ago. The one she answered with a simpleI left.
She sniffs, like she’s crying.
Shit. Maybe Quinn was in a different time zone or something? And Annaleise was too busy digging up ways to ruin people’s lives.
I rub Meg’s back. “What about your dad?”
“He was on a wine tasting trip with Darienne. I…I couldn’t get a hold of him.”
This makes me want to punch the wall. Friends sometimes fail us. But no dad should ever fail his kid. End of story.
“Did something happen?” I stroke down her hair. To my relief, she inhales another full breath and lets it go, melting a little more into me.
“Above everything, it’s my job is to keep people safe.” She buries her face in my chest. “And I messed up.”
I caress up and down her bare arm.
“There was a…thermos of tea on a passenger’s tray table. I was handing a drink to the person next to him and I…I knocked it over. There was….a baby. In the window seat. In a mom’s lap. The hot water…” She sucks in a breath. “But burns are almost impossible to treat on a plane. You need cold water. Cold,runningwater. I did the best I could with those stupid tiny sinks we have, and when that wasn’t enough, we used our big jugs and a trash can. He still got blisters on his feet. His screams...” She draws in a shaky breath. “I’ll never forget.”
“Meg, hey.” I kiss the top of her head. She’s carrying such a heavy weight for something that could happen to anyone. “It was an accident. The person with that thermos should have had the lid on.”
“But if I hadn’t been so distracted, it wouldn’t have happened.”
