Page 87 of One Good Reason

By the time Law came ambling out of the building, I was standing against the back of my car scrolling through social media.

Stepping in my path, he peered down at me. “You good?”

“Not really but I will be.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Don’t ask me that. Today is one of those days for me.”

“What days?”

“One of the day’s that I’m holding myself up with tape.” Swiping my thumb across my nose, I chuckled. “I’m bound to break at any second.”

“What can I do to make it better?”

“Nothing,” I mumbled. My nose started to run and immediately I knew tears were getting ready to sprout from my eyes. Licking the corner of my mouth, I stared out at the road. “I’m overwhelmed,” I sighed.

“Tell me what to do, Talitha.” Law begged. Gripping my chin, he turned my head back to him. “Let me help you.”

“You can’t. I need to get home.”

“Didn’t you say Gema was gone.”

I nodded.

“Then come home with me.”

“Law…” I breathed.

“I’m not taking no for an answer. I can follow you to your house. Pack a bag and come with me to the lake house.”

I wanted to say no but going home to an empty house wouldn’t do shit but have me stewing in my feelings. I was on the verge of breaking down and even if I didn’t want to do it in front of him, I also didn’t want to be alone.

“What you say to that?”

“Okay,” I finally agreed.

Holding his hand out, he said, “Hand me your keys.” When my brows dipped in confusion he added, “I’m going to drive you. Baker will trail us.”

“Okay.” Grabbing them out of my purse, I handed them to him. When he walked over to talk to Baker, I stood at the passenger door and waited for him to hit the locks.

A few minutes later, the lock on my car was hit and I was able to slide into the passenger seat. Securing my seatbelt around me, I kicked off my shoes, reclined my seat, and closed my eyes.

Law fumbled with the radio a few minutes before deciding on some neo soul. Once we pulled away from the school, I felt his hand on my thigh. That was all the comfort I needed in that moment to get a few minutes of sleep.

CHAPTER 21

Lawton

Sitting on the floor beside the porcelain, clawfoot tub, I stared at her. Talitha hadn’t uttered a word since we left the school. The ride to her house was spent with me glancing back and forth between her and the road. She said she was overwhelmed and while I wanted to wait for her to tell me what was troubling her, I wanted to interrogate her.

I knew us having to push back things at the school played a part of it, but she looked aggravated prior to that. I had been sitting in the same position for the last twenty minutes just watching her. Her hair was thrown up into a sloppy bun, and she sat with her knees up to her chest and arms secured around them. She was sitting there staring at nothing in particular.

I had long decided that I would sit with her until she was ready to either get out or talk. I had music playing throughout the house, but low enough to hear her in case she decided she was ready to speak.

“Can I wash you up?” I asked. Every so often she would reach down and drain the tub before filling the water back up so instead of waiting on it to get cold again, I figured the least I could do was bath her so we could get that over with.

Instead of speaking, she nodded. Grabbing her towel off the side of the tub, I dipped it in the water and squirted some of her body wash onto it.

---