Page 175 of Till The Sun Dies (Checkmate 2)

Epilogue

“Welcome back, Laine.” Stepping aside, Sonia smiles as I enter her opulent office. The usual tea tray remains on the small table between the chairs, and as I move closer, I catch a whiff of the flowers and dead pigeon. “Take a seat and tell me everything.”

She’s almost like a mother hen pecking around her chicks, the way she moves around me and pushes the tray of cookies in my direction. She still wears fancy suits, high heels, and perfectly coiffed hair, but she long ago shed some of her professionalism and is now someone I might consider my friend.

“Tell me.” She sits forward and tucks her ankles to the side. “I want to know everything. I’ve seen this look in your eyes before; this sparkle of excitement. How is Chester?”

I burst out laughing and think of the bikini clad plastic llama statue that now takes up residence in Dixie’s ice-cream parlor. Britt happened across a yard sale last month, handed over twenty bucks, called up her squad, and hatched a plan to steal Miss Dixie’s lover and swap them out in the dead of night.

Britt is a wife, a mom, and yet, she donned her black clothes – if you ignore the giant purple lettering promoting her husband’s gym across the bust – pulled a cap over her eyes to hide her identity in case the police – her brother – picked us up, and together, we stole the statue from Miss Dixie’s and replaced it with a six-foot tall plastic llama in a pink polka-dotted bikini.

Just like old times, Jess, Britt, Kari, and I had a sleepover that night to talk boys, eat bad food, and together, we woke at dawn to Miss Dixie’s screeching that echoed clear across town.

I’m not entirely proud of my actions, but at the same time, Dixie’s a bitch who deserves to feel a little pain.

For now, and until we switch them back, the old statue remains in the front office of Kane’s new security business. A few days after his disappearance, Dixie became desperate enough, and fed up enough with the lack of police help, she stomped into Checkmate Security to pay for a private investigation. This led our group into a flurry of activity and laughter as we tried to hide the stupid thing in the storage closet while she told Eric her troubles and begged for his help.

The Oscar for best acting goes to Eric for his ability to not give us away while he took Dixie’s statements and accepted her credit card details.

“Laine?” Sonia taps my knee and brings me back to the real world. “Talk to me. I know you called me to discuss something important.”

I draw a long breath and end it with a smile. “I saw Graham yesterday…”

Not at all what she was expecting me to say, Sonia sits back and reverts back to her therapist self. “And how did that make you feel?”

I laugh. Leaning forward more carefree than I ever expected to feel after running into Graham again, I snag a cookie and take a bite. “At first I freaked a little; my heart was pounding a million miles an hour. I was in the store with Jess, Ang, and Kane. We were heading over to Spence’s for the afternoon, but Jessie and I wanted a picnic first, so we went to the store to grab snacks.” I meet Sonia’s eyes. “I swear, I haven’t thought of Graham in months, but then we turned into aisle three and bam!” I clap my thigh and make Sonia jump. “He was right there in the flesh. I’ve been good for ages, being with Ang brings me so much comfort, but seeing Graham was a surprise.” I laugh at the irony. “Surprisefeels like an understatement, but you get what I mean. Seeing him so unexpectedly almost sent me into a full tailspin. This is such a small town, so how I’ve avoided him for so long surprises me, but there he was, picking out chips and soda.”

“What happened next?” Discretely, she pushes the box of tissues my way, but I don’t need them today.

I don’t need them anymore.

“Ang was already holding my hand.” I grin with satisfaction and think back to this time yesterday. “He does that a lot. He held my hand and pulled me closer. As soon as he saw Graham, he pulled me to a stop so I didn’t have to go closer.” I smile, remembering as he leaned in and whispered in my ear.“Do you wanna go, Laine? Tell me what you need, and I’ll make it happen.”

“Um…” But of course, I wouldn’t be that lucky.

Graham turned before Ang could sweep me up and carry me away. As soon as he saw me, his faced drained white and his shoulders came up in defense.“Laine?”

“Graham used to be the cliché every girl in the fairy tales aimed for; tall, dark, and handsome. He had the chiseled jaw, dark hair, dark eyes. His hair was always perfectly combed, his suits always sharp and expensive. But the first thing I noticed yesterday was the beanie he had pulled so low over his head, I couldn’t even see his eyebrows. His cheeks were sunken and sickly, his skin was gray, and the whites of his eyes were yellow.” I meet Sonia’s eyes. “He looked sick, like, terminal illness sick, and when he saw me, I swear, he looked scared.” I remember how Ang’s large hand held mine, how he’d pulled me in so my body was pressed to his ribs.

My heart slammed against his side, my hands shook, but Graham’s fear did something for me. Something truly good.“Talk to me, Laine.”

Bravely, the way the younger, crazy me would have acted, I dropped Ang’s hand and stepped forward.

“I swear, I thought he was going to crap his pants, Sonia. I thought he would just keel over and die, the way he shriveled up with each step I took.” Playing with the fray in my jeans, I laugh. “I shouldn’t take pleasure in that, but the petty, statue-stealing side of me basked in it. His eyes darted between each of ours – mine, Jess’, Kane’s, then Ang’s. He was going to drop a load in aisle three, and then the universe decided it was a good time for Alex and Oz to walk in in search of chips and dip for the fights on TV.” I giggle as I remember. “A part of me is actually tempted to say ‘poor Graham’.” My belly bounces with my soft laughter. “I truly don’t think in all the time I spent in Infernos club, I was ever as scared as Graham was yesterday in the middle of Jonah’s store.”

“Do you think seeing him has set you back at all?” Sonia asks. “Do you feel like we need to increase your sessions just to make sure?”

“No.”Freedom. Sweet, blissful freedom.“I think seeing himfreedme. I was rehearsing this grand speech in my head, I was going to tell him how I’m still standing, still strong; it included choreographed fist pumping and sassy hair swings. I was probably going to smack my own ass and tell him to kiss it as I walked away.” Snickering, I place my cookie down and brush the crumbs from my lap. “In reality, none of that happened. When he was panicking, when he was literally shaking in front of my eyes – which only got worse when Ang stepped up close enough I felt his body heat on my back – I simply picked up a bag of chips and tossed them in his basket.”

Sonia claps a hand over her mouth in surprise, which makes me giggle.

“A long time ago, back when we’d been together for a few months and he was done trying to impress me, I sat down with a soda and chips and started a movie; I was exhausted after a long week of work… and other stuff.” I shrug. “Graham got mad at me, like, scary, loud, mad that completely took me by surprise. He snatched my chips away and screamed for an hour that I was fat and useless. He was relentless.” I shake my head. “It was so bad, I went to the bathroom and stuck my fingers down my throat just to undo the damage I’d supposedly done. I’m not fat.” And to prove it, I pick up the half-eaten cookie and shove it into my mouth. “I’m definitely not useless. Graham was, and still is, a coward and a bully, and he degrades others so he can control them. I looked around Jonah’s store yesterday, because even without words, we’d drawn attention. My sister stood with Kane, Ang stood with me, my cops stood together and unclipped their guns, and even two-bucks-a-blowy Belle, the store cashier, stood behind me just to catch the gossip. Graham froze up until I actually felt bad for him, so I tossed my bag of chips into his basket, gave him a flirty wink, and kept on walking.”

“Laine.” Smiling proudly, Sonia reaches out tomytissue box and snatches one up to wipe beneathhereye. “I’m so unbelievably proud of you. I feel like I owe you a graduation certificate or something. A high-five as an absolute minimum. My baby’s all grown up and doesn’t need me anymore.”

I spend the rest of my hour with my motherly therapist. These aren’t therapy sessions anymore, not really. They’re simply snacks and tea time, and when Sonia is done tearing up with pride, we flop back in our chairs and giggle about Chester some more.

When my hour ends and we book another session for next month, I stand from my chair and for the first time ever, step forward and wrap my arms around the deceptively strong woman. “Thank you for everything you’ve done since we met.” I lean back and hold her forearms. “I needed you, and you helped me in a way others couldn’t. My sister healed a part of me, Ang healed another, and Kane another. My recovery was like a jigsaw, and without your piece, I wouldn’t be who I am today. I know it’s just your job, but…”

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