Page 39 of Stitch
“I need to understand what I triggered. I need to understand her, so I can fucking avoid it happening again.”
“So don’t yell at her. It’s pretty fucking simple, man.”
I looked at Lissa next, hoping she’d give me more.
“Please, tell me something that means I don’t scare her again. I care too much about her to want to make that happen again.”
Lissa glared at Ice. “Well, unlike this dickhead, I have no idea what it was, and even if she tells me, I can’t tell you. Just like I couldn’t tell her anything you told me in our session yesterday. It’s confidential.”
Fuck me.“Ice, as your VP, I’m fucking ordering you to give me that file.”
He rubbed a hand over his buzzcut hair, his eyes darting to Lissa before returning to mine.
“Please don’t do this to me, man. Reacher has seen it all, so go talk to him. This isn’t my shit, and I don’t want to be involved. Bad enough that this little vixen is gonna start quizzing me after you bugger off.”
“Please. There’s something she’s deathly afraid of, or more likely, it’s someone. A person. A bastard who hurt her in some way. Tell me, and I can avenge her. I’ll kill the fucker, so she never has to be afraid again.”
Lissa gasped, and Ice cursed. “Go see the Pres, I can’t do any more than this, and I can’t tell you without his approval anyway. He already fucking threw his weight around about this.”
And he could have just told me that part first.Asshole.
Cammy
Tommy seemed like anice guy, and didn’t mind that it was still fairly early, offering to make us breakfast rolls when I asked about food.
“Thank you for the coffee. I always need a mass of it in the mornings.”
“Yeah, don’t we all, right? We always have coffee on the go here. I’ll go sort your breakfast, so if anyone needs me, I’m back in the kitchen.”
He left me alone, and it struck me again how comfortable I felt in this place, even though I barely knew anyone here. I opened up my version of the bucket list, and added a few things that I’d missed before. There was something cathartic about creating a list now to work on, because I had a better chance of achieving more of my items, but then I was struck again by how unlikely it was that we’d finish the list Stitch made, if he really was on borrowed time.
It was unbelievably heartbreaking that someone so young and decent was struck by something so life limiting, because even if he had months left, how many of them would be bedridden or worse? He hadn’t mentioned if he had to gothrough chemo or any other radical treatments, and I hadn’t wanted to ask. He was clearly trying to pretend this wasn’t happening to him, and why would I force him to face it, if he could have some blissful ignorance before it became real and final?
I heard boots on the hard floor, and turned to watch him walking toward me. He was beautiful really, tall, wiry, and smiling as he approached. I loved his smile, because it was always reflected in his very blue eyes, and seemed to light the room up.
“Hi.”
His grin widened, and he winked at me.
“You know I love it when you say that. Sorry I was so long, Ice can be a prick, but I have a phone again, and it looks like my list automatically went into the cloud.”
“Great. I have one in mind though. That place you wanted to revisit, the one that appeared twice. Can we go there today?”
His shoulders dropped a little. “I can’t fucking ride yet, or I’d definitely take you there. It’s lovely in summer, but you can’t get to it by car.”
Oh. There went my big idea.
“I’m sorry. I thought it’d be a good one to try, but I guess it might not be one you want to rush to anyway. We can pick another.”
“I like the idea of the video one, girl.”
I blushed, especially with Tommy’s perfect timing to return with two toasted breakfast sandwiches. Even though he couldn’t possibly know what Stitch meant, it felt like he could guess.
“Wow, that looks great, kid, thanks.” Stitch leaned close to his breakfast and inhaled deeply.
“God yes, breakfast of kings.”
I giggled, reaching for mine. “Well, I’m no king but I’m eating it anyway. Thanks, Tommy.” He nodded, sliding a coffee in front of Stitch, then made himself scarce.
