“Something like that.” He grinned. “I’m going to miss you, Lorna Lott. I hope you’ll stop by and let me know how the last apology goes for you. Now... let’s get you into some float therapy before you end for the day. Won’t hurt to be in total darkness, alone with your thoughts, one last time.”
Lorna sighed. “Oh, Micah. Never change.”
He laughed.
She went to her last float therapy and found, as she was weightless, floating in complete darkness, that she did think about what he’d said. She thought about Bean, who accepted her from the beginning. About Seth, who never asked her uncomfortable questions and made her feel safe in his company.She thought about Callie texting her, and seriously, was that real? Could she really be friends with Callie again?
She thought about how she was finally forgiving herself, the person in her life who needed to be forgiven the most. She thought about so many things that when Montreal eventually knocked on her door, she didn’t want to get out. She had so many more things to think about.
Hey K, so guess what? I’m coming to see you. I’m sort of glad but very scared. I don’t know what to expect. Will you know me? Will you remember what happened? Will you remember how much I loved you? Will you ever forgive me?
Chapter 37Lorna Now
Lorna’s dad looked a lot older than he had just three years ago, when he came to take Kristen back to Florida. His wife, Trish, was heavily made up with not a hair out of place, like she’d always been—but even she looked a little worse for wear. Lorna knew that look. It was the stress of Kristen. She could zap the fortitude of the strongest people.
Addiction and its effects and aftermaths and consequences—all of it—was such an insidious thing, pulling apart the best of families. Lorna sincerely hoped Kristen hadn’t managed to do that to Dad’s second family. She wouldn’t wish that agony on anyone.
It was humbling to think of Kristen’s journey in this life. If she got too in her head (thanks, float therapy), Lorna couldn’t help but wonder what might have been for Kristen and their family. What if Kristen had conquered her need to numb herself? What if she hadn’t turned out to be an addict in the first place? Where would she be now? Where would they all be now? But the life Kristen had squandered by choosing drugs over all else was too hard to imagine.
“Lorna,” Dad said, and hugged her tight. She was slightly taller than him, and it felt awkward. “It’s so good to see you.”
“You too, Dad,” she said. But she felt nothing. Not even rage or anger or disgust. Here was a man with whom she was acquainted, who had the misfortune of being the father to a child who’d suffered brain damage. Other than that, he looked like a guy who would live in Florida.
Dad turned to Seth and Bean and said, “Oh. I wasn’t expecting anyone else.”
“I’m Trish,” Dad’s wife said, moving to greet Seth and Bean. “And this is Dave. Soniceto meet you! We had no idea Lorna was in a relationship!”
“I’m not,” Lorna said.
“We just wanted to keep her company,” Seth added, smiling at Lorna. This man got her. He understood her unwillingness to give her dad and Trish a single thing, and he was going to support her in that.
She introduced them properly. Bean was dressed in his vest and explorer hat and had his Ranger Explorer backpack. On the flight over, he’d been glued to the window, making notes about what he saw, and Lorna had the chance to fill Seth in a little more about her family history. She hadn’t told him all of it yet—she liked him and wanted to keep him as a friend, and she had the sense that a little went a long way. But she also knew she could confide in him. That he wouldn’t judge her. She could almost hear Micah crowing,Look at you, you’re trusting someone, Lorna!
When the introductions were made, Dad asked if she had everything. “We can swing by the facility on the way home.”
“What?” Lorna was startled. She wasn’t ready. She needed... something. Time? At least a chance to change clothes, to get her game face on. She hadn’t expected to see Kristen immediately.
“It’s just a few blocks from here,” her dad pointed out. “Wouldn’t make sense to go all the way home and then come back. Not with the price of gas what it is.”
For heaven’s sake, why hadn’t she just rented a car? “But Seth and Bean are here. They don’t want to hang out at some residential care facility.”
“We can get a cab or a rideshare,” Seth said. “Don’t worry about us.”
“Yay!” Bean said. “I’ve always wanted to ride in a cab!”
“You don’t have to wait there,” Dad said. “There’s a café next door. A Starbucks on the corner. I think it makes more sense.”
“Okay,” Seth said reluctantly, and to Bean he said, “We’ll get a cab later.”
Dad turned to lead the charge to the parking garage; Seth exchanged a look with Lorna. Yep, that was her father—unwilling to consider anyone else’s comfort but his own. “Are you okay?” he asked quietly.
Lorna forced a sort of smile. “I’m notnotokay,” she said. “I guess I’m just going to rip off the bandage.”
Seth sort of shrugged. “May be the best way to do it.”
“Areyouokay?” she whispered.
“Don’t you worry about the Rooney boys. We can survive your dad.” He winked at her, and Lorna knew he could survive anything. The man was a rock.
