Page 133 of Ace of Spades

"Josie's thriving," I say finally. "Got her into a specialty program upstate. She’s talking more every day. She’s not just surviving anymore. Girl’s living her best life."

“And I’m five,” Josie adds.

“And you’re five?” Theo acts surprised. “Wow! I wish I was five. Any word from Evie?”

After her arrest, Theo stopped calling her mom. He saw the way she abandoned Josie, and just couldn’t call her that anymore.

I shake my head slowly. "Still struggling. But that's her fight now, not mine."

He nods again, like he gets it.

And he does. Probably, more than most people would.

There's a beat of quiet, just long enough for the waitress to drop off our burgers.

Then Theo glances up at me, mischief in his eyes.

"You seen her?" he asks, voice low.

My chest tightens instantly.

I don't have to ask who he means.

I clear my throat and set down my coffee.

"Youseen her?" I throw back at him.

Theo just smiles.

Not a smug smile. Not a cruel one. Just a soft, knowing one.

"She’s good," he says. "Tough. Heart like a damn lion."

I lean back in the booth, rubbing a hand over my face.

"Yeah," I say, voice scraping low. "She always was."

‘“You should swing by the old shop sometime. Might be surprised by what you see.”

Part of me is extremely curious. But if it’s something crazy like she and Joey got married… or worse, she and Gramps since he’s closer to her type… then shit.

I don’t know if I’d ever recover from that.

“Maybe soon.”

“You should go tonight,” he insists.

I furrow my brows. “Okay… maybe I will. “

“Okay,” he says, taking a sip of his drink.

And it’s not doing a damn thing to cover his grin.

Chapter37

Sienna

Six months ago, I thought my world was crashing.

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