Page 70 of The Charmed Friends of Trove Isle
Liz looked down at the bracelet. Her fingers were still resting on the wave charm that Bri had added. “So you think I should go?”
“If there’s something a person can do to make themselves feel a sense of pride, to overcome a fear, or something they can hurdle that will advance them leaps and bounds instead of setting them back, I always think they should take a chance and do that thing.”
Liz was surprised that Dr. Mayer was fully smiling at her now. “I’ll think about it. And visualize it.”
He leaned back in his chair, a satisfied look on his face. “Good. Let me know what happens.”
She nodded and unfolded her legs to stand. “I will.”
* * *
Later that evening, Liz sat on her front porch swing, letting the forward and backward motion carry her thoughts to and from various places. Rose was working at The Bitery tonight with her friend Devin helping out. Liz was certain that Rose probably wasn’t dressed appropriately for running the counter, but Liz wasn’t Rose’s mother. When their mother got back,shecould try to reign in Liz’s unruly, outspoken, vibrant, and courageous sister.
Liz’s gaze traveled to the brightest star in the sky tonight, which made her mind go to Jo. “Hey, Jo. Hey, Alyssa,” she said quietly, blowing out a breath as the swing screeched in its upward motion. “Do either of you have any advice for me?” As soon as she uttered the words, movement on the street caught her eye. She blinked the figure into focus, realizing it was Matt walking Mr. Beast past her home. She flicked her gaze back to the star. “You never were very subtle,” she told Jo, wondering and hoping her late friend could hear her.
Matt stopped walking when he seemed to notice her sitting there. Then he lifted his hand and waved.
She waved back, feeling a jolt of something in her heart. A tiny lightning bolt of energy. A spark.
“It’s a beautiful night,” he called across her lawn. “Care to join me on my walk?”
Liz started to say no, but the word came out all wrong. “Sure.” She stood on wobbly legs and headed down the porch steps. Then she walked across the grass to where he was standing. Mr. Beast ran over to sniff her shoes.
“Complete honesty here,” Matt said, looking at her, “I was pretty sure you were going to turn me down.”
“Me too.” She turned her body forward and took a step, waiting for him to walk with her. It was just an evening stroll under the stars with a guy who made her heart skip. No big deal, she told herself.
“How was your day?” Matt asked.
Liz considered the question, deciding to follow Matt’s lead and go with complete honesty too. “I had an appointment with my psychologist.”
“Yeah?”
She listened for any hint of judgement, but there was none. No one had ever judged her for seeking help. It was her own paranoia and self-judgement that made her shy away from talking about things with people. “Mm-hmm. He thinks I’m a strong person.”
Matt cleared his throat. “Well, he sounds like a smart guy. For the record, I think the same thing about you.”
Liz glanced over. “You do?”
“Hell, yeah. The strongest woman I know.”
Liz took a shuddery breath, feeling the little bump in her pulse. “He wants me to visualize myself going to prom. And consider going for real. Just like Melody.”
“Wow,” he said quietly. “What do you think? Is that something you’re ready for?”
“I don’t know.”
Matt was quiet for a long moment. “I’m not a psychologist. I’m just a cop. But, in my book, you’re strong regardless of whether you decide to go. You could decide to shut yourself inside your home and never get behind a steering wheel again, and it wouldn’t make me think you were weak.”
Liz kept her gaze forward. She couldn’t look at Matt right now. She might break. “Thank you for saying so.”
“I’m just saying what’s true. Do you want to go to prom?” he asked.
They stopped walking so that Mr. Beast could lift his leg on a mailbox post. Liz finally looked at Matt.
“No, I really, really don’t want to go,” she said. She wasn’t sure, but she thought she saw disappointment flash in his eyes. “But . . . somewhere deep inside I feel like I need to. Does that make sense?”
Mr. Beast tugged on the leash that Matt was holding and they began to walk again.
