Page 75 of Under the Influence

“Only because you’re tired and vulnerable over what went down today. Trust me that tomorrow, everything will make sense in a new way.”

“What if it doesn’t?” she cries, making me flinch from the sheer shift in her mood. “I could be crazy forever!”

Her tone isn’t funny, but her words crack me up. Edith scowls at my laughter.

“You’re not crazy. In all honesty, you sound like a kid who missed her nap. Just settle down and let yourself relax. Tomorrow will be okay.”

All the manic energy drains out of Edith as she tears up again. “I don’t feel like myself.”

“Tomorrow, you will.”

“No,” she says, wiggling free of my hug. “Knowing you has changed me. I’m not me. I don’t know who this person is.”

“Edith, you’ve always lived a very predictable life. I was living the same kind of life until months ago. That’s why I flipped out when I saw those Charleston club guys in my territory. I hadn’t been ready for a threat and didn’t handle the change well. That’s all you’re dealing with now.”

“What if I can’t deal with the changes?”

“You’re stubborn, not weak or dumb. This is you overreacting to weeks of uncertainty.”

Edith backs away, imagining problems where none exist.

“I struggled to see Val clearly,” I tell Edith, hoping she can see how we all misread situations. “I got it in my head that he was a certain kind of person. I initially fought anything that might prove me wrong.”

Edith glances in the direction of Val goofing around with Lola near the homestead’s pond.

“My blindness didn’t last long, but I struggled to see what was right in front of me. Then, one day, I looked at Val and saw the real him. I believe he’ll protect Lola and my family. I see how he takes the job seriously. He’s goofy but not stupid.”

I cup her jaw and force her to focus on me rather than imaginary threats.

“Soon, all of these doubts will be gone. Maybe it’ll take a good night’s rest. Or maybe you’ll need more time to adjust. It might not happen until you have a new schedule. Your life here is structured. You know your place in the world. With things changing, you feel like you’re in a freefall.”

“I don’t want you to leave,” Edith says and tugs me closer. Her gaze flashes back to her parents. “But I want you to leave, so I can be with my family. I feel like I’m nuts tonight.”

“I promise it’ll get better. Weeks ago, I was pissed off a lot. Now, I’m calmer than I’ve been in my entire life. If you’re patient, things will naturally shake out.”

Edith nods and wraps her arms around me. Generally, when she gets rattled, we make out until she goes all gooey inside. Today, she keeps looking at her parents like a junkie needing a fix.

The problem is she’s also addicted to me. When I get ready to leave with Clover and Erin, I’m forced to hand off a crying Edith to Donovan.

“It’s been a weird day,” I tell him when he strokes her head. “I’ll bring sandwiches over for lunch tomorrow. The four of us can sit down and talk like normal.”

Donovan gets what I mean. As much as he wants to hash things out with me before I leave, Edith is too emotional to allow such a conversation.

She isn’t the only one struggling. Clover and Erin are in a dire mood on the drive back to Basin Rock.

“Why was she crying?” Erin asks.

“Edith’s worn out from hiding things,” I say, unsure if I should share the baby news. “It’ll be fine.”

“I heard she went full Earlham today,” Clover says from the back seat. “What does that mean and is it contagious?”

Chuckling at her tone, I shrug. “Edith is suffering from a bad case of the drama llamas. Like when Tuesday flipped out at Knobby for calling her ‘Thursday.’ They’re a loud family.”

“And you want this woman in your house, making it loud and obnoxious?” Erin asks.

Flashing a frown at my mom, I reply, “You don’t get to judge Edith’s volume level when you married a man for his dick prowess.”

“Well, okay, then,” Erin mumbles. “I wasn’t aware we were going to use the past or facts in this argument.”

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