“What does it feel like when you’re around him?”
“Perfect.” I let out a small sigh. “He’s been through more than I could imagine during our time apart, but all of my feelings for him haven’t changed.”
“Focus on rekindling your romance with Flynn or just reaching out and being a friend. You need positivity right now, and the only time I’ve ever seen you smile like that is when you mention that man.” She winked, jotting something down in her notepad.
She was right. The only time I was this happy was when it had something to do with Flynn. I glanced at my purse. Mrs. Rockwell had slipped me a couple more letters before she left my salon with a new haircut this morning. I needed to read them, but I knew I needed to be in the right mindset to.
My phone vibrated in my lap, and I picked it up. I shot Ivory a sheepish smile before I answered it, “Hello?”
“Evelyn? It’s Maybel. Flynn’s mom.” Her voice was rushed as if she were panicked.
My spine straightened. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Flynn. We had an argument after I got home this morning. It’s about the letters. I haven’t been completely honest with you, hon. He didn’t know I’d been giving them to you, and he’s real upset about them being gone.”
My heart plummeted. He hadn’t meant for me to get them? “I’ll look for him. I have a feeling I know where he’s at.”
“Oh, Evelyn, thank you so much. Please make sure he’s alright. He booked it out of here with a lot of beer. I’m sure he’s drinking.”
“I’ll do my best. Talk to you later.” I ended the call and shifted my gaze toward my therapist. “Excuse me, I have to cut this session short. I need to do something.”
She waved her hand in the air like it wasn’t a big deal. “I’ll see you next week. Go do what you need to do.”
I gave her a grateful smile before leaving her office.
All the letters I’d collected from Mrs. Rockwell sat heavy in my bag as I walked down the trail to the lake. I spotted Flynn on the bench I had been at earlier that week. He had empty beer bottles scattered around him as he was engrossed in one of the letters he’d written. I swallowed a hard lump as I moved my feet closer. I stopped once I was standing in front of him.
He glanced up, his gray eyes meeting mine with an intensity that caused me to gasp.
“I thought I’d find you here.”
“How?” His voice was flat.
“Your mom called me. She mentioned the letters.” I gripped the strap of my bag tight.
“They weren’t for you!” His eyes glistened with unshed tears. “They’re for me. I need them.”
My mouth fell open before I smashed my lips together. I’d never heard him shout before, but hearing anyone raise their voice at me made me want to curl within myself. I took a few deep breaths before pulling the letters out, including the two I hadn’t read, and handing them over to him.
He snatched them out of my hand. “I don’t even want to know what went through your mind when you read these.”
“I didn’t read the two your mom gave me today, not since I found out you didn’t want me to read them.”
He shook his head. “All forty-three letters,” he mumbled, tossing all of the letters on the muddy ground, and pushed off the bench. He stumbled forward, and my arms flew out to catch him. My hands curled around his shoulders as we stared into each other’s eyes.
There was so much pent up emotion behind his eyes. He backed a few feet away from me. “I’m sorry.” He hesitated before casting one last look back at me and left me alone.
A jolt went through me, and I dropped to the ground. I scrambled to pick up all of the letters I could find. I sat on the bench and counted all forty-three of them before stuffing them in my purse.
I don’t know how long I sat there, staring out at the lake, before I got to my feet and walked back to my car. My eyes stung as I pulled out my phone and called Mrs. Rockwell.
“Thank you, hon. He’s home. Drunk as a skunk, but collapsed in bed a few minutes ago.”
“I’m happy I could help. Could you have him call me when he sobers up?”
“Of course,” she said before we hung up.
I climbed into my car and drove home. Flynn must be harboring worse demons than I’d thought. But I had my own demons that I needed to deal with before I could help him with his.
The aching in my skull ebbed as my eyes cracked open to the dimly lit room. Waves of nausea added to my misery. I glanced at the clock at my nightstand. It was midday, and my head still felt like an axe was planted in it. I’d acted like a real asshole last night. To both Ma and Evelyn. But my privacy was violated, what’d Ma expect?
Pain shot through my right side. My eyesight struggled to cope with the daylight as I fumbled with my prosthetic leg that was still attached to my swollen nub, detaching it and rubbing the end of my limb. I dragged myself out of bed, grabbing the crutches, and went downstairs to the kitchen to make something to eat.
When I reached the bottom step the smell of breakfast overwhelmed me. Sitting on the kitchen table was a platter of eggs, bacon, sausages—perfect for a hangover.
“As you know, your dad got drunk a lot. I know how to remedy these things.” Ma poured a glass of water and sat it on the table next to some aspirin.
I couldn’t meet her gaze as I collapsed into the chair. I popped a couple pills in my mouth before downing the
