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“No I’m not a fan of takeout”
Gail laughed “Good Lord, why? I would have starved to death years ago if not for the pizza place near me”
“I like to cook” Sort of true, but she really didn’t like having delivery people showing up at her front door Even if she were expecting the uniforms and ball caps that hid their faces too easily
“What’re you cooking?”
“I went to the market on Sunday I’ll likely make a minestrone soup” She fished her phone out of her purse and saw that David had texted WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOU DINNER?
“That isn’t a happy expression,” Gail said
“Guy I know froroup wants to talk to me”
“Think he’s the one who sent the flowers? Maybe his card really roup”
“No He didn’t send the flowers We both knew Deidre, but other than that we’re just acquaintances”
“You don’t think those flowers are roirl when he’s willing to spend money on her”
“I think sending flowers and not signing the card is creepy” Once, Philip had left a single rose on the driver’s seat of her car She’d always locked the car, and the floas his way of telling her he could get to her anytime
“You gonna text him back?”
“Of course”
Her fingertips hesitated over the cell phone keys
“Just say you have surgery tonight”
Tempted “What about tomorrow?”
“You’ll be busy then, too It happens a few tie to back off”
“Assuuy who operates under normal boundaries”
Gail cocked her head “Sounds like experience talking Your late husband wasn’t a nice guy?”
Leah sighed “He wasn’t, but you’d never have known it when you firstAnd then it was either full-on roer Little in between”
“Was it terrible for you?”
“For a while it was” She shook off the fear “But I’es of her coat over her scars
“I see you day in and day out Most days you do a good job of hiding them” Gail frowned “Did he attack you?”
Shame warmed her face with a flush of color As kind as Gail had been to her since she’d arrived, she couldn’t bring herself to explain her tale
“I see the scars”
She’d kept the past locked in a box for four years At tiainst the box’s restraints, as if it were a wild animal But she’d always kept it contained Now, after all that fighting, she simply lifted the lid and set it free “He stabbed me twenty-three times”
“My God, I remember that case It was in the news”
“Thankfully, the media dropped it quickly” Color rose in Leah’s face as embarrassment flooded her How could she have been so fooled by a monster?
“It’s okay, honey,” Gail said “I didn’tmouth and I can put my nose into business that isn’t mine”
“It’s fine It’s the past My husband died in a car accident shortly after the attack It’s over” She glanced down at the phone She wasn’t going to lie to David She texted back, I CAN MEET FOR COFFEE IN AN HOUR She hit Send “See you tomorrow, Gail”
“Are you okay?”
“Yes I’ht smile, but she couldn’t find one “See you tomorrow”
“Sure thing, honey”