his brothers again.
***
“Can you tell me how it started?”
“My mother went out to celebrate her birthday. My cousin and I had spent part of the night hanging out, and she’d just left me to go home. After, I went upstairs to put on my pajamas, but I got distracted.”
“And what distracted you from getting ready for bed?” Jace jotted notes on his yellow pad of lined paper while she talked.
“Him. He was on the phone with an acquaintance both he and my mother knew. Saying bad things and making her look bad. He was talking dirty, and was angry with her for breaking up with him. So I decided to grab some paper and write everything he was saying down so that I could show her she was making the right decision by kicking him out.”
“And how did that make you feel?”
Seriously? Why do they always ask that?
“Now or then?” she asked. “This is so hard.”
“I understand, Holly. Take your time.” He leaned back in his chair, put down his pen, and steepled his fingers. “How about we start with then?”
“I was worried, but I felt good about it, I guess. My mother took my father back for much worse, and I was afraid she’d do the same with him. It was so much better when it was just the three of us. Why did she have such crappy taste in men? And why did she feel like she needed one in the first place?” Holly looked up almost pleadingly for someone, anyone, to give her an answer. “If I could just go back and do it over, I don’t think I would have done it the way I did, though. My stupid impulse to give her those damn papers is what started the argument that night, and I’ll have to live with that guilt for the rest of my life.”
“So your feelings now are regret for trying to help her? Because from what you’re telling me, it seems you had her best intentions at heart. It’s also not your fault that she died, Holly. You didn’t put the weapon in his hands and weren’t there to encourage him to do what he did. You were a child trying to protect her mother from future heartache, a kid who tried to help her make the right decision. I’m sure she understood your intentions, and I know she certainly wouldn’t want you to blame yourself. Your mother was a loving person, and she’d want to see you happy, don’t you think?”
“Probably.” She laughed through her tears now. “So you think she’d forgive me?”
“Absolutely, because the way I see it, there’s nothing to forgive.”
The room was quiet except for the scratch of his pen as she processed what he was saying. “So what happened next?”
“I snuck back downstairs unnoticed and waited for her to come home.”
“Was he there when she arrived?”
“No,” she whispered, “he left shortly before on his bike. When my mom came home, I barely let her come through the front door before I dragged her to the living room and explained what happened. You should have seen her. She was heartbroken, and I can remember feeling the same pain because what I gave her put that look on her face. It was like she was crushed that someone would say those things. Let alone someone she spent the last two years with. He was a guy who was supposed to love her once upon a time.”
Jace looked up from his desk. “And what happened next?”
“She told me to go to bed, and I apologized.”
“What are you apologizing for?” Emma joined her on the stairs and lifted Holly’s chin so she’d look at her.
“For upsetting you. I wanted to show you you’re making the right decision.”
“Don’t worry about it, honey. I’ll make this right, okay? Now go to bed, it’s late.” Emma turned to go back down again.
“Are you sure? I want to stay with you.” Holly reached over to hug her. “Are you going to confront him?”
“I don’t know. Maybe?” Her mom looked close to tears right then. “Go to bed, please.”
“Okay, I love you, Mom.”
“I know, baby, I love you too.”
“See you in the morning?” Holly gulped,
***
“Can you tell me how it started?”
“My mother went out to celebrate her birthday. My cousin and I had spent part of the night hanging out, and she’d just left me to go home. After, I went upstairs to put on my pajamas, but I got distracted.”
“And what distracted you from getting ready for bed?” Jace jotted notes on his yellow pad of lined paper while she talked.
“Him. He was on the phone with an acquaintance both he and my mother knew. Saying bad things and making her look bad. He was talking dirty, and was angry with her for breaking up with him. So I decided to grab some paper and write everything he was saying down so that I could show her she was making the right decision by kicking him out.”
“And how did that make you feel?”
Seriously? Why do they always ask that?
“Now or then?” she asked. “This is so hard.”
“I understand, Holly. Take your time.” He leaned back in his chair, put down his pen, and steepled his fingers. “How about we start with then?”
“I was worried, but I felt good about it, I guess. My mother took my father back for much worse, and I was afraid she’d do the same with him. It was so much better when it was just the three of us. Why did she have such crappy taste in men? And why did she feel like she needed one in the first place?” Holly looked up almost pleadingly for someone, anyone, to give her an answer. “If I could just go back and do it over, I don’t think I would have done it the way I did, though. My stupid impulse to give her those damn papers is what started the argument that night, and I’ll have to live with that guilt for the rest of my life.”
“So your feelings now are regret for trying to help her? Because from what you’re telling me, it seems you had her best intentions at heart. It’s also not your fault that she died, Holly. You didn’t put the weapon in his hands and weren’t there to encourage him to do what he did. You were a child trying to protect her mother from future heartache, a kid who tried to help her make the right decision. I’m sure she understood your intentions, and I know she certainly wouldn’t want you to blame yourself. Your mother was a loving person, and she’d want to see you happy, don’t you think?”
“Probably.” She laughed through her tears now. “So you think she’d forgive me?”
“Absolutely, because the way I see it, there’s nothing to forgive.”
The room was quiet except for the scratch of his pen as she processed what he was saying. “So what happened next?”
“I snuck back downstairs unnoticed and waited for her to come home.”
“Was he there when she arrived?”
“No,” she whispered, “he left shortly before on his bike. When my mom came home, I barely let her come through the front door before I dragged her to the living room and explained what happened. You should have seen her. She was heartbroken, and I can remember feeling the same pain because what I gave her put that look on her face. It was like she was crushed that someone would say those things. Let alone someone she spent the last two years with. He was a guy who was supposed to love her once upon a time.”
Jace looked up from his desk. “And what happened next?”
“She told me to go to bed, and I apologized.”
“What are you apologizing for?” Emma joined her on the stairs and lifted Holly’s chin so she’d look at her.
“For upsetting you. I wanted to show you you’re making the right decision.”
“Don’t worry about it, honey. I’ll make this right, okay? Now go to bed, it’s late.” Emma turned to go back down again.
“Are you sure? I want to stay with you.” Holly reached over to hug her. “Are you going to confront him?”
“I don’t know. Maybe?” Her mom looked close to tears right then. “Go to bed, please.”
“Okay, I love you, Mom.”
“I know, baby, I love you too.”
“See you in the morning?” Holly gulped,
Similar Books
