“I understand, and I’m sure they will, too.”
Bailey’s first thought after he said this was, would they ever want to meet her? She’d done serious damage to the family she didn’t even know she had. How would they all get past this?
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Six months later…
Mae set the hot cup of coffee down in front of Bailey, then sat across from her on the patio. It was a beautiful day. Clear and bright, but cold as hell. The beach across the street was covered in a heavy blanket of snow. Bailey was happy to be outside, even if it was cold. She missed being outside and being active, and God, did she miss summer. She’d spent most of it recovering from her injuries, thanks to Dex. She barely left home the first month or so after she’d been found in that little camp trailer.
As if reading her thoughts, Mae said, “The trailer is gone.”
Bailey nodded. “Yeah, I know.”
“You know? How did you hear when you’ve been avoiding any news for so many months?”
“Some things have slipped through.” Bailey chuckled. “Is it true the owners of the property finally put it up for sale?”
“Yeah,” Mae said. “Apparently, they only came out once a year to spend a week on the lake. They didn’t know the trailer had been parked on their property. I guess it’s better to sell the place and get a family moved in who’ll enjoy it.”
Bailey scoffed. “Or at least take care of it. Someone who won’t leave it abandoned for transients to take over. I can’t believe they didn’t even have a trusted neighbor looking after the house, much less someone to call them when strange RVs homestead the land.” Bailey sipped her coffee and looked up at Mae. “I also heard Michael and Amanda Gomez received the reward offered by the Spatz family.”
“Yes, they received it last week.” Mae stared at Bailey for a moment. “Ryan told me about the nightmares.”
“Wonderful. Just what I need, another person worrying about me.” She looked up at Mae with a slight smile. “I’m fine, really. It’s just that—”
“Dex is dead, and Snaggletooth’s in jail, Bay. They can’t hurt you.”
Bailey almost laughed when Mae used the nickname. “I know, I know… He can’t hurt me.” She closed her eyes for a moment. “If you didn’t know me, Mae, would you believe me?”
“Don’t be stupid. Everyone knows The Rosa Trials is a tabloid. They don’t care about the truth, only ratings. They’re just bullies. You know that.”
“And she’s getting a lot of ratings from my story. Or at least from the ‘alternate’ version of my story.”
Mae grimaced. “I’m sorry. This world… This is what we’ve become—watching train wrecks for entertainment.”
“I just can’t figure out where she’s getting the information, Mae. Where did she get the photos? How does she know what she knows? It has to be someone close to me.”
“Oh, bullshit, Bailey. Most of what she’s reporting isn’t true. The only thing she really has are the photos, and it’s what, maybe three or four photos total?”
“She has at least five, and it doesn’t have to be true. That’s the problem.”
Mae wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and said, “She’ll go away soon. People will get bored, and she’ll move on to a new target.”
“I know, but I’m thinking maybe I need to give her a nudge.”
Mae stared at her for a long moment. “What kind of nudge?”
“I think it might be time.” She shrugged. “Maybe it’s time to go there and meet them.”
Mae’s eyes lifted to the sky, and she nodded. “That might not be a bad idea. If you meet them and become a happy family, she no longer holds the power.”
Bailey nodded. “And it’s time. I feel bad. I know they’re waiting.”
“You need to do this on your time, not theirs. Don’t make a decision based on what you think they need. And you shouldn’t make decisions based on Rosa Sikes either. What does your therapist think?”
Bailey pushed the bangs off her face and sort of rolled her eyes. “She doesn’t give specific advice like that. She just lets me talk it out until I come to my own conclusion. But, honestly, I should’ve gone before Christmas. I know that. It’s cruel to make them wait this long.”
“I’m sure Alex Spatz is just happy to know you’re well.”
“And I’m sure Nicole Spatz isn’t anxious to meet me.”
“Don’t be so sure, Bailey. What if you’re wrong?”
“What if I’m right?” Bailey asked, her heart fluttering a little at the thought. “Mae, what if I’m right?”
Mae reached over and placed her warm hand on top of Bailey’s cold one. “Bailey, what if you’re wrong?” Her eyes grew wide. “You have a sister, and I realize you’ve only had a few months to process that fact, but look at it from her perspective.” Mae lifted her hand and waved it toward Bailey. “She now has a sister, too. A sister she’s been waiting to meet her entire life.”
* * *
Ryan’s music was making her jumpy, and she couldn’t reach the knob to turn it off. Vince, Lucas, and Mae all insisted on coming with her and Ryan. Bailey tried to talk them out of it, but they wouldn’t budge. She even tried to get Mae to agree to stay home for Bailey Mae’s, but no, she closed the shop for two days and packed a bag.
Bailey turned to see the headlights of Lucas’ truck driving behind them. Vince was riding with her and Ryan. He was in the front seat, quietly chatting with Ryan. The backseat was closing in on her, making her feel claustrophobic. She lifted to look over Ryan’s shoulder at the speedometer.
“Relax, Bay.”
“Easy for you to say,” she muttered.
The pitch-black night didn’t give her anything to look at either. She tried to sit still, but her arms and legs wouldn’t cooperate. When she kneed the back of Vince’s seat, he turned to look
