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“I’m sorry,” she whispered, though he couldn’t hear her.
She crept down the hall, wincing at every creak of the floorboards. At the door to the room she’d been sleeping in, she paused, her hand on the doorknob. Part of her screamed to go back to Freddy, to crawl back into bed with him and pretend, just for a little while longer, that this could work.
But Sabrina Williams wasn’t built for pretending. She’d fought too hard, come too far to risk it all now. With a deep breath, she opened the door and went in to start packing. She wasn’t ready to leave Whitetail Mountain yet, but she couldn’t stay here, in this house, without crushing her heart beyond repair. She’d move up to HQ and stay in a guest room there until everything was resolved.
Once she’d packed, she called Holly.
“Hi, Sabrina. How can I help?” The chipper greeting made Sabrina want to cry, but she stifled it.
“Sorry to bug you so early, Holly, but uh, I was wondering if maybe you could come pick me up from Freddy’s. And uh,” suddenly, it felt like she was asking a lot of someone she barely knew. Still, Sabrina didn’t have many other options. “Um, I washoping I could crash in one of the HQ guest rooms for a few nights?”
Holly’s response lost the upbeat professionalism she’d answered the phone with. “What’s wrong? Are you okay? Of course you can stay here.”
“Nothing. Nothing’s wrong. I just think it would be best. I mean, I need a place since, you know, since the tree fell on my house. I know it won’t be for long.” How was she supposed to address the fact that she knew Patrick was about to fire her? And that she agreed with him.
“I’ll be there in five minutes.” The worry in Holly’s voice made it obvious Sabrina would have lots of questions to answer on the ride up the mountain, but it was better than facing Freddy.
Sabrina gathered up her things, dragged them out the front door and pulled it shut behind her, leaning against it with a heavy sigh. The weight of everything crashed down on her at once – her mother’s devastation, the uncertainty of their future, and the lingering warmth of Freddy’s touch on her skin.
She pushed away from the door, determined to focus on what mattered most. By the time she’d hauled her plastic tote of meager belongings to the driveway, Holly was turning toward her and pulling to a stop.
The woman hopped out of her car to open the trunk for Sabrina before looking between her and the front door. “Does Freddy know you’re leaving?” she asked.
“No.” Sabrina was not ready for this conversation. “Think we could get coffee before we play twenty questions?” she asked.
Holly gave her a lopsided grin. “Of course. Patrick’s getting ready for their meeting in the city today, so he’ll be out of our hair in about an hour. I think he’s picking up Freddy on the way, but I’m not sure. Either way, I know Freddy has to attend the meeting today, too. So we’ll have some girl time.”
“Thanks.” It didn’t feel like enough to express how grateful Sabrina was to be allowed some time and space to sort through her feelings. “I need to make some phone calls today about insurance and whatnot.”
“You should probably do that first. Getting ahold of those people is a nightmare, and it’s better to start dealing with bureaucracy bullshit first thing in the morning. It’s the only chance you have of accomplishing anything without it dragging out for days and days.”
Within minutes, they pulled up the winding circular drive and parked in front of Taylor Industries’ Headquarters. Holly helped Sabrina carry everything up to the guest room she’d be using before suggesting they have lunch together later in the day.
Sabrina closed the door to her room to avoid any awkward run-ins with Patrick before he left. Then she spent the next several hours on the phone, navigating the labyrinth of insurance claims and Red Cross assistance. She made lists–things her mother needed immediately, steps to take in the coming days and weeks, people to contact.
Sabrina’s fingers hovered over her phone, hesitating before tapping Ma’s number. As the line connected, she took a deep breath, steeling herself for the conversation ahead.
“Hey, Ma. How’re you holding up?”
Tracy’s voice crackled through the speaker, tired but resolute. “Oh, you know me, honey. Tough as nails.”
They dove into the nitty-gritty of insurance forms and FEMA applications, Sabrina’s pen scratching across her notepad as she jotted down important details. When the topic shifted to housing options, Ma’s tone softened.
“Now, Sabrina, don’t you go worrying yourself sick over me. I’ll figure something out.”
Sabrina pinched the bridge of her nose, fighting back a wave of frustration. “Ma, please. Let me help. We can look into apartments–”
“Hold up,” Tracy cut in, her voice taking on that knowing edge Sabrina knew all too well. “Something’s off with you. What happened?”
Sabrina’s throat tightened. She considered deflecting, but the words tumbled out before she could stop them. “I slept with Freddy last night.”
A beat of silence stretched between them before Tracy spoke, her voice gentle but firm. “Oh, honey. Tell me you didn’t stick around this morning.”
“No, I... I left before he woke up.”
“Good girl,” Tracy sighed, relief evident in her tone. “You did the right thing, Sabrina. Men like that, they’re nothing but trouble.”
Sabrina’s chest ached at her mother’s words. “Freddy’s not like Dad, Ma. He’s-”
