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“Have you been doing okay?” That question lands differently.
It’s no longer just polite conversation. She isn’t asking how I am because she’s expected to. She wants the truth.
And I hate it.
“I’m doing better now. My stepbrother’s helping me out.” I glance away before my face gives anything away.
Vik has left me in a very strange place. Part of me wants to get closer to him. The other part wants to run.
Somehow, I think that’s exactly where he wants me. Balanced between curiosity and fear. Maybe that’s why he keeps invading my space whenever I start to feel uncomfortable. As though he enjoys having that kind of power over me.
Snap out of it.
“Good.” Lindsey lets out a quiet sigh after another sip of her drink. “Being with family during the hard times is always for the best.”
“What happened to Matthew?” I ask, desperate to steer the conversation somewhere—anywhere—else.
Matthew is the man I tried to help. Lindsey probably doesn’t remember his name, but she’ll know who I mean.
“I’m not sure.” She looks away. “They discharged him not long after you were fired.”
The words hit harder than I expect. Everything I tried to do ended in disaster.
Somewhere out there, Matthew is probably still living with the same pain he had before I intervened.
“You can’t keep blaming yourself, Hannah,” Lindsey says softly. “You did everything you could. You eased his suffering, even if it was only for a little while.”
“That’s easier said than done.”
“Maybe.” She grins over the rim of her glass. “But I know exactly what’ll chase those thoughts out of your head.”
“Getting drunk at one o’clock in the afternoon?” Despite everything, I smile. “I’ve definitely heard worse ideas.”
“Afternoon?” Lindsey laughs. “Baby, this party’s going all night.”
She reaches into her handbag and slides a sleek black card across the table.
THE CRUCIBLE
“A nightclub?” I stare at her as though she’s completely lost her mind. “I really don’t think that’s where I should be right now.”
“Which is exactly why you should go.” She points at me with her straw. “Dance. Forget everything for a few hours. And if that doesn’t work, there’s always alcohol and a couple of hot guys.”
It’s a terrible idea.
Especially now that I’ve only just moved into Vik’s house.
He’s bound to have questions. Questions I don’t know how to answer.
But getting away does sound tempting. Maybe a different environment will help me make sense of everything that’s happened.
“Fine,” I say with a reluctant sigh. “But you’re buying the first round.”
Lindsey beams.
“Wouldn’t have it any other way.”
After lunch, we stop by Lindsey’s place so she can pick up a few things before she drives me back to Vik’s house to get ready.
