Page 118 of It's a Wonderful Knife
Leo watched me. “I never thought about it that way. I… I just figured it was better if Dakota thought Ezra was his dad. I thought it was best not to rock the boat. Even if Ezra is… well, frankly, awful.”
“I’m not saying it would be easy to tell Dakota and Ezra the truth. But it’s really about what you want your future to look like,” Royce said. “If the last few days don’t put things in perspective, maybe nothing will.”
Mona sighed. “Yes. Life can be so… short.”
“I’d love to marry you, you know that, Mona.” Leo grimaced. “But I’d never pressure you. Not ever. I love just being by your side.”
Her eyes glittered with emotion. “This has been the most horrible few days of my life, but perhaps it’s time for a new beginning. We’ve been through hell.”
Royce smiled. “Maybe it’s time for a little heaven.”
Mona raised Leo’s hand to her lips, and she kissed his knuckles. “Maybe it is.”
****
The next morning, liberation arrived in the form of a big black-and-green truck with an open bed and enormous tires. A half dozen troopers jumped out of the vehicle and went about securing the scene.
Our homeless friend was led out of the house and allowed to sit up front in the cab of the big vehicle. I hoped he ended up in a mental health facility because that was where he belonged. Not jail.
Once the police were on scene, everything felt a bit chaotic. The guests were instructed to pack quickly so they could be transported off the farm. Apparently, Hank was waiting up at the big parking lot to take us back to Rainy Dale.
I didn’t see Chloe get arrested, and I didn’t want to see it. I couldn’t handle witnessing the pain Elle must be experiencing. Whether Chloe had gotten herself into that mess or not, Elle was obviously devastated. I hoped that Chloe’s young age would work in her favor. I suspected she wasn’t mentally well because she hadn’t shown the kind of remorse I’d have liked to have seen.
Jax took being cuffed with his usual cavalier attitude. If I hadn’t known better, I’d have suspected he had an escape plan in place. He seemed so unaffected by the gruff way the cops bossed him around. I felt astonishingly sorry for Jax. I wasn’t one prone to sentimentality, so I didn’t completely understand why I cared what happened to him. But for some reason, I did. For a self-centered asshole, he’d been surprisingly willing to fall on his sword for others.
The worst part of all was Royce had to stay behind.
Saying goodbye to him was painful. I could see how much he wanted to escape with us in his tired, yet resigned, expression. But he wasn’t about to admit that to his fellow cops. Instead, he gave me a quick peck on my lips and went back to stand with his law enforcement buddies as our vehicle lumbered away.
Since the rain had stopped for several days, the river had definitely gone down. It was, however, still dangerous and not easily crossed. The vehicle we were in managed the swirling waters fairly easily, but even it bogged down a few times. But the driver gunned the engine, and the truck spewed mud from its huge tires as we were bumped and jostled around in the back.
Once on the bus, our group was quiet on the way back. Gone was the cheerful bunch who’d sung along to the Chipmunks’ Christmas album. I was happy to sit with Hermina for whatever reason. It was almost comforting to have Mary Puppins growling at me every time I breathed too loud.
When we finally arrived in Rainy Dale, an actual lump formed in my throat at the sight of the dusty little town. The shops and people felt familiar and comforting. Royce had hired a girl named Ashley to keep Grumpy with her while we were away. When I entered Royce’s house, the silence was depressing. I missed the little pup’s energy, but mostly I missed Royce.
Girdy had tried to convince me to come stay at her place so I wouldn’t be alone. I declined. I was peopled out. Ashley was dropping Grumpy off tomorrow morning, and I hoped maybe Royce would be home by then too.
I spent most of the day unpacking and doing laundry. I didn’t have to go back to seeing patients until Monday. I wasn’t sure what to do with all my free time. Without Royce around, having time off felt pointless. By late afternoon, I decided I had to get out of the house. My mind was swirling with everything we’d been through on the farm. I needed a distraction.
I went into the Squeaky Wheel gift shop simply because I liked the cozy atmosphere of the place. Susan, the owner, was behind the counter helping another customer, but she gave me a friendly wave. Christmas was only about a week and a half away now. I’d bought Royce some cologne as a gift, but I still needed to buy Girdy something.
The shop always smelled amazing. Today the scent of cinnamon and cloves filled my nose as I wandered through the aisles, perusing the trinkets. Dean Martin sang Christmas carols overhead, and I had to smile. It seemed to be the same CD Hank had played endlessly on the bus ride to Giggly Elves Farm.
That thought gave me a pang of loneliness. I really did feel so very alone. It was depressing to have no way to really talk to Royce. I needed to replace my destroyed cell phone. If I wanted to call Royce, I could use the landline at his house. But I’d have to call the farm’s main line. How amazing could our conversation be if he had to have it in front of everyone?
“Merry Christmas,” Susan said, coming to stand beside me. “How was your trip?”
I opened my mouth to speak but wasn’t sure what to say. WhatcouldI say?“Not counting the double homicide, it was peachy?”Instead of giving details, I simply said, “It was fine.”
“Romantic, I’ll bet?” She smiled. “I went there a few years ago. We had so much fun. What did you think of the hayride?”
“It was one of the best parts.” That was actually true. The hayride and my time in the cabin with Royce had been the highlights. Everything else was mostly a stressful blur. “They had a lot of bacon.”
She laughed. “Right? It was heaven.”
I cleared my throat. “I was looking for a Christmas gift for Girdy.”
“Is that right?” She nodded. “Jewelry? Perfume?”
