“Only you can know when it’s time.”
“I hope you’re around to see it.”
“Me too. And in terms of your brother—I know that you’ll never be alone. If anything, you’ll gain more people who love you and your daughter. My friend Aspen is smitten with her.”
“That’s good because Phoenix is all tied up in knots over her.”
“I know.” I grin behind my mug and we share a quiet laugh. “Oh hey, you should come with us to the book club at the library. It’s coming up soon. Nina Amore is the new librarian, and she’s trying to breathe life back into the place.”
“I don’t really have time to read,” she says with a little shrug.
“Then don’t. I’ll give you the highlights and you can just tag along.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“I’ve heard that a lot lately, and I’m feeling good about my odds.”
“Well, since we’re sharing…” she says. “Hypothetically speaking,”—she raises an eyebrow and waits until I nod—“hypothetically, I did some digging and was able to identify your anonymous commenter and sent a cease and desist letter.” She grins. “I also sent a box of penis cookies, a colorful dildo innon-discreet packaging, and rigged their social media page with pop-up ads for porn and penis enlargement.”
I open my mouth and then close it as I let that sink in.
Wow.
“And you know who it was?”
“I do.”
“And you think they’ll stop?”
“Bullies only have power when we let them. And no one bullies my family.”
“I don’t want to ask, but I need to know who it was.”
Her expression is sad, apologetic, and I know before she even opens her mouth who it is.
“Your mother.”
I want to be surprised but I’m not. I just didn’t think she’d stoop to such a despicable level. Part of me wants to confront her, to finally find some closure, but the other part of me is thankful I don’t have to be involved.
She’d want the theatrics, and I just want to get on with my life.
“Thank you,” I say, swallowing down the emotion. “Thank you for taking care of it for me.”
Bristol’s smile is soft as she pushes back from the table and places her mug in the sink. “Goodnight, Cora. This was nice.”
“It was. Night,” I say belatedly as she disappears down the hall. I sit with my half-finished cup of tea, my earlier need to sneak out no longer pulsing in my veins. Bristol might have needed this kitchen confessional, but I had too. Maybe it’s because wedon’tknow each other that well that we were able to spill a few truths in the darkened room.
Truths that have my soul humming in a way I’ve never felt before.
Standing, I push in my chair and then wash the mugs, leaving them in the drying rack for the morning. Retracing my steps, I take a breath before easing Talon’s door open and closing it behind me.
“Are you all right?” he asks, his voice heavy with sleep.
“I couldn’t sleep. I talked to your sister a while in the kitchen.”
“Were you sneaking out?”
“What if I was?”
