“And that means you’ll never be independent? I think you’ve proven them wrong already if you ask me.”
“It just means I’ll always need someone to look out for me,” I said on a shrug. “I’ll always need someone to check up on me and make sure something didn’t happen.”
“Like a seizure? I thought the seizures weren’t bad ones?”
“Every seizure is a bad one,” I explained. “For the simple reason that every seizure I have could lead to a bigger one. A different kind. A life-altering one. My brain changes over time because of the syndrome I have.”
“I’m sorry, Honey. I didn’t know that you were dealing with so many complicated situations.”
I leaned forward on my legs to stare out the windows. “It’s actually a relief to know there’s a reason for everything that happened when I was a kid. Knowing that my conditions all put together in one package have a name is actually a relief. I don’t feel like it’s my fault anymore, if that makes sense? That I’m not a bad person or a dumb person.”
“It’s not your fault, Honey, but I totally understand where you’re coming from. I felt the same way when I first moved here and had to come to terms with my past. Sometimes we blame ourselves for things outside of our control, and it takes someone important to us to show us that it’s not our fault. Gulliver was that person for me. I would guess Mathias is that person for you.”
This was dangerous territory that I couldn’t wade into right now, so I decided to change the subject. “What do you think of the house?”
“It’s breathtaking,” she said on a sigh. “I can see why you haven’t come back to the office.”
“The house is indeed amazing, but that’s not why. I’m working from here now on Mathias’s new venture.”
She threw her hands up in frustration. “I swear to God, no one tells me anything!”
I rubbed her arm gently until she calmed down. “I’m sorry. I honestly thought Mathias had informed you and Gulliver. He told me he was transferring the day-to-day operations of Butterfly Junction to Gulliver.”
“What? What do you mean?” she asked, her head spinning toward me.
“You mean he hasn’t told Gulliver yet?”
She did the palms up and bit her lip. “Maybe that’s what they’re talking about right now? What is going on, Honey?”
It took me another half an hour to fill her in, considering the number of questions she had and how many times she interrupted me. When I finished explaining everything, she blew out a breath. “I’m floored. I didn’t see this coming.”
“Trust me, neither did I,” I assured her. “I’m torn between wanting to work with him and wanting to run away.”
“Run? From the town or Mathias?”
I held my hands out, my cheeks puffed up, full of air. “Both?”
She leaned back and crossed her arms, one eyebrow raised high. “This has to do with the letter I found, doesn’t it?”
“Lordy, what the hell was I thinking writing that down?” I asked on a loud groan. “It was like I was in the middle of some damn James Bond movie.” I smacked myself in the forehead. “I wish those words had never left my brain.”
She nodded, clearly contemplating the situation. “They didn’t leave your brain. They left your heart,” she pointed out, emphasizing the difference. “It was important for you to write them down, even if it’s been nothing but awkward for you since Mathias read it.”
“Gee, thanks, like I hadn’t noticed.” I rolled my eyes to the white-painted ceiling rather than make eye contact with her.
Charity snorted with laughter, and I shoulder bumped her gently. “It’s pretty obvious,” she said, righting herself. “That man has it bad for you.”
My mouth dropped open, and I swiveled toward her slowly. “Excuse me?” I asked, my lips having trouble forming the words. “What did you say?”
“I said, that ma—”
I waved my hand in the air. “I heard what you said. What did you mean by it?”
“You didn’t ask what I meant.” She was laughing now and if she weren’t so cute, I’d get mad. “You asked me what I said.”
I motioned with my hand for her to answer me, and she leaned forward, clasping her hands together. “When I found the letter and read it, I freaked out. I made Gulliver read it, and he freaked out, only we freaked out for different reasons.”
“Confused.”
