tomorrow, and it will be there whether you take those pills or not.”
“I have to take them, I—”
Jessica shushed me, long and slow, and I felt her lips brush against mine, close and sweet. “If you take them, you’ll be alone, and I’ll be alone. We won’t be able to help each other.”
“Help each other?”
“Of course,” she said. “We’re in this together, aren’t we?”
I opened my eyes.
Jessica was in front of me, and for a moment I didn’t recognize her. Her hair was flat against her scalp, and heavy shadows sagged under her eyes.
There was a bruise forming on her cheek, and tiny red lines spider-webbed off the edges. It made me think of her body lying alone in the grove.
The maggots, the empty sockets, the fingers chewed to the bone.
I closed my eyes and forced the image away. After a moment I said, “I won’t sleep out there anymore. I can’t.”
I thought she’d get upset. I thought she’d cry and try to get me to change my mind, but when I opened my eyes she was smiling.
“I think we’re beyond that now, don’t you?”
CHAPTER 26
The kid bagging my groceries dropped the last of the boxes in the bag, then shook his head and smiled.
“Something funny?” I asked.
“That’s just a lot of ant traps.” He held my bag out to me.
“I’m guessing you bought every last one.”
He was wrong.
I’d left the Howard’s brand traps on the shelf. They didn’t work worth a shit anyway, and I didn’t want to waste the money. But the rest, I took.
I reached for the bag. When I did, I noticed him staring at my hand and the galaxy of tiny red bites on my skin. He looked up at my face and neck, then back at my hand. The bites were everywhere, burning and swollen. There was no way to hide them.
“Got a small ant problem,” I said, taking the bag. “That’s all.”
The kid nodded. “I hope these help.”
I turned and headed for the door, ignoring the stares from other customers. I’d been so focused on getting the traps that I hadn’t noticed the attention I was getting. I hadn’t thought I looked that bad.
I’d parked my truck in the far corner of the lot, and I took my time walking back. My skin felt like it had been stripped off, exposing the meat below. My legs screamed with each step. I couldn’t wait to get home and take off my clothes and lie flat on my back in the middle of the living room, not moving, just staring at the ceiling.
When I got to my truck I unlocked the door and set the bag on the seat. I was about to get in when I heard someone call my name.
I recognized the voice and turned.
Liz’s smile dropped at once.
“My God, what happened to you?” She pushed her purse up on her shoulder and came toward me, fast. She put a hand against my cheek. “What are these?”
The spot where her hand touched was cool and calm, and for a moment all I could think of was how good it felt.
“You look like you have chicken pox.”
“Bug bites,” I said. “I fell asleep outside.”
Liz lifted the collar of my shirt and looked at my neck. “You’re completely swollen.”
“I’m fine.”
“This is terrible, Dex.” She reached for my hands, turning them over in hers. When she got to my left hand, and the wedding ring, she let go and stepped back.
For a moment, neither of us spoke. Then I said, “How are things at your mom’s?”
She was still staring at the bites on my skin, her gaze moving from my arms to my face. I thought about telling her she should see my chest and stomach. That stretch of skin was by far the worst.
Instead I said, “Liz?”
She looked up. “Sorry, what did you say?”
I asked her again.
She shrugged. “Things are OK, but I don’t know what I was thinking when I moved in with her. It hasn’t been easy to get used to.”
I wanted to tell her that it hadn’t been easy for either of us, that I didn’t have any idea what she’d been thinking when she left, either.
But I didn’t. I was too tired and too sore
“I have to take them, I—”
Jessica shushed me, long and slow, and I felt her lips brush against mine, close and sweet. “If you take them, you’ll be alone, and I’ll be alone. We won’t be able to help each other.”
“Help each other?”
“Of course,” she said. “We’re in this together, aren’t we?”
I opened my eyes.
Jessica was in front of me, and for a moment I didn’t recognize her. Her hair was flat against her scalp, and heavy shadows sagged under her eyes.
There was a bruise forming on her cheek, and tiny red lines spider-webbed off the edges. It made me think of her body lying alone in the grove.
The maggots, the empty sockets, the fingers chewed to the bone.
I closed my eyes and forced the image away. After a moment I said, “I won’t sleep out there anymore. I can’t.”
I thought she’d get upset. I thought she’d cry and try to get me to change my mind, but when I opened my eyes she was smiling.
“I think we’re beyond that now, don’t you?”
CHAPTER 26
The kid bagging my groceries dropped the last of the boxes in the bag, then shook his head and smiled.
“Something funny?” I asked.
“That’s just a lot of ant traps.” He held my bag out to me.
“I’m guessing you bought every last one.”
He was wrong.
I’d left the Howard’s brand traps on the shelf. They didn’t work worth a shit anyway, and I didn’t want to waste the money. But the rest, I took.
I reached for the bag. When I did, I noticed him staring at my hand and the galaxy of tiny red bites on my skin. He looked up at my face and neck, then back at my hand. The bites were everywhere, burning and swollen. There was no way to hide them.
“Got a small ant problem,” I said, taking the bag. “That’s all.”
The kid nodded. “I hope these help.”
I turned and headed for the door, ignoring the stares from other customers. I’d been so focused on getting the traps that I hadn’t noticed the attention I was getting. I hadn’t thought I looked that bad.
I’d parked my truck in the far corner of the lot, and I took my time walking back. My skin felt like it had been stripped off, exposing the meat below. My legs screamed with each step. I couldn’t wait to get home and take off my clothes and lie flat on my back in the middle of the living room, not moving, just staring at the ceiling.
When I got to my truck I unlocked the door and set the bag on the seat. I was about to get in when I heard someone call my name.
I recognized the voice and turned.
Liz’s smile dropped at once.
“My God, what happened to you?” She pushed her purse up on her shoulder and came toward me, fast. She put a hand against my cheek. “What are these?”
The spot where her hand touched was cool and calm, and for a moment all I could think of was how good it felt.
“You look like you have chicken pox.”
“Bug bites,” I said. “I fell asleep outside.”
Liz lifted the collar of my shirt and looked at my neck. “You’re completely swollen.”
“I’m fine.”
“This is terrible, Dex.” She reached for my hands, turning them over in hers. When she got to my left hand, and the wedding ring, she let go and stepped back.
For a moment, neither of us spoke. Then I said, “How are things at your mom’s?”
She was still staring at the bites on my skin, her gaze moving from my arms to my face. I thought about telling her she should see my chest and stomach. That stretch of skin was by far the worst.
Instead I said, “Liz?”
She looked up. “Sorry, what did you say?”
I asked her again.
She shrugged. “Things are OK, but I don’t know what I was thinking when I moved in with her. It hasn’t been easy to get used to.”
I wanted to tell her that it hadn’t been easy for either of us, that I didn’t have any idea what she’d been thinking when she left, either.
But I didn’t. I was too tired and too sore
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