Page 88 of Ms Perfectly Fine
“I don’t understand why she would come after me like this. I never would have done anything to hurt Mollie!”
“Our working theory is that to Lena, it’s the tenth anniversary of her sister’s death but it’s your return to the stage. My guess is that she needs somewhere to put her blame,” Aiden said gently.
Autumn swallowed hard. She had never thought this would be the outcome of her wanting to play again.Why didn’t she just confront me? Was she sending me the roses to try and get me to quit? Surely, confronting me and telling me who she was would have been far more effective. We could have talked it through, understood one another. The secrecy doesn’t make sense.
“Lena, or her parents, never tried to contact you after the accident?” Aiden asked. “If her parents harboured resentment, it could have been transferred to her.”
“No, never. They were nothing but kind after the accident. Mollie and I first met because our mums were really close. That’s how we both ended up playing for the same company,” Autumn said, hating to think they might resent her for surviving. She had punished herself enough for years; she didn’t need someone else to do it for her.
“I think that’s enough for now.” Elijah squeezed her hand, and though no amount of comfort would fix her, she was glad he was with her.
“Can I see Heather? Could I talk to her? I need to hear what she has to say for myself. Even if she did all this, Mollie would want me to make sure she was okay.” What Heather had done in hiding her identity was wrong, but Autumn couldn’t imagine how hard it had been for her friend’s sister. At only twelve, she’d witnessed her sister’s death and her family breaking apart. The thought of the ever-smiling kid she’d known having changed so much was heart wrenching.
“Are you sure?” Aiden asked. “She might not give you any answers.”
“I know, but I have to try,” Autumn said, suddenly wanting to protect the person who had made her life harder for years. She hadn’t been able to save Mollie, but she was going to try and help her sister, if only for the memory of the kid she’d known growing up.
“I can set up a short interview for tomorrow morning. We might have more results by then.” Aiden closed his laptop. “You should take the day to digest the information I’ve given you and prepare.”
“Thank you. I really appreciate it,” Autumn said, following him towards the door with Elijah behind her.
“Call me if you can think ofanythingelse, or if anything happens.”
“Thank you,” Elijah said, giving him a hug. Autumn opened the door for him.
“I’m always here to help. Congratulations on the game—Francis is over the moon!”
“I’m sure he is now that he has a break from me nit-picking at his designs,” Elijah said with a grin.
Autumn was glad they were so close. It made the experience with Heather—or Lena—far less daunting knowing Aiden was on their side.
“That’s what family is for,” he said before turning to Autumn. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Look after each other.”
Autumn let Elijah walk him down the path to give them some time to talk while she headed back inside for a quiet moment to gather herself. She took her cup of tea out into the garden, desperate for some fresh air. She felt like the walls of her past were closing in.
“You okay?” Elijah asked as she sat in the garden, surrounded by untamed plants, with her favourite Rambunctious Raccoon mug.
“Peachy,” she said.
He snuggled in beside her, and she placed half her blanket across his lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on top of her head. Though she hated going over her past, having him with her gave her strength she hadn’t known she needed.
“Thank you for being with me. I don’t think I would have ever faced it without you.”
“Yes, you would have. You don’t give yourself enough credit. But I’ll be here whenever you need me or want me,” he said, kissing the side of her head.
She relaxed into him, the last of her lingering anxiety leaving her.
“How about we go back to bed and I make you forget about this morning?” he whispered in her ear, placing a gentle kiss on her neck.
She rested her hands on his. “Don’t you have work to do?”
“Now that everything is sorted with Nirosoft, I only have my meeting with the Randell board on Thursday. So I’m all yours,” he told her, running his fingers through her hair.
“I can’t wait for this to be over. Your deal, the showcase, Heather…” Autumn sighed, wishing they could hide from the world.
Elijah smiled reassuringly at her. “Like Aiden said, one day at a time. We have each other.”
Chapter Thirty-One
