Page 56 of The Secrets We Treasure

“Where’s the money now?”

“In my mom’s backyard.”

Laci shook her head. “Man, oh, man,” she uttered with a blip of laughter. “That’s insane. Does your mom know about the money or Josette’s threat?”

“Nope. I never told her.”

“I can’t believe you went through all of that, and you never told me, Greer, or your mom.”

“I never told anyone.” She gave Laci a meaningful look. “You’re the first.”

Laci looked pleased. “Well, at least I’m in the know, for once.” She rubbed a hand across her forehead. “Wow, that’s a crazy story. Are you gonna tell Greer?”

“Yes, eventually.” She paused. “Greer will be hurt … not only by me, but also by his mom.” Regret churned her gut. “Greer will question why I didn’t trust him enough to tell him the truth.”

“Why didn’t you?”

Treasure spread her hands. “I was young … scared. Like I said, Josette and Francie played on my fears. I was afraid they were right. That Greer would come to resent me and end up leaving in the end.”

Laci looked thoughtful. “I can totally understand where you were coming from.”

“At the very least, I hope hearing the full story will put you at ease concerning my intentions with Greer.”

“Absolutely.”

“I love him.” Treasure’s voice quivered with fervency. “I always have, and I always will.”

“I can see that now,” Laci said quietly. Her expression was somber but accepting. She paused. “I’m sorry I misjudged you.”

“It’s okay. How could you have known?”

“What’re you gonna do now?”

“I was hoping you could give me some advice. What would you do?”

Laci sat back in her seat and folded her arms. “Well, at the very least, I’d confront Josette and Francie. Throw the money in their faces.” Her expression grew fierce. “Tell them if they ever breathe a word of this to Greer or anyone that you’ll nail their butts to the wall.”

“You wouldn’t tell Greer?”

“I don’t think I would.”

“But I have to. I can’t live with the lies and secrets any longer.”

“Why? It’ll only hurt him. He would be devastated to learn of his mother’s treachery.”

“That’s true. The sad part is that I don’t think Francie is a bad woman.” She tightened her jaw. “I think she was being used by Josette. Jordan’s death skewed her perspective, causing her to place all her hopes for the future on Greer.”

“Do you think Josette wanted you to leave the island to spite your mother?”

“Maybe. It’s hard to say what that woman’s intentions were. She’s a horrible person.”

“She’s a cranky one, for sure.” Laci pursed her lips. “On second thought. Maybe you should keep the money … as leverage.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you could threaten to use it as proof if Francie and Josette don’t keep their lips buttoned up.”

“Yeah, I guess I could.” The whole thing made Treasure feel dirty. She wished with all her heart that it had never happened. If only she’d had the strength to stand up to Francie and Josette. If only she could’ve trusted Greer enough to tell him what happened. “I feel like I should tell Greer the truth.”

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