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A corner of his mouth twitches up, and he nods. His gaze averts to my brother, who’s watching us. Danny gives a slight inclination of his head, and my heart lifts, because I know without asking that this has done it. This revelation has given Danny the information he needed. And that means he believes Shane really loves me.
Despite what’s happened today, I experience a moment of pure happiness.
Looking back at me, Shane says, “Not just me. I know Danny started doing it too, and probably some of your other friends. But…yeah. I guess it’s mostly been me. I wanted to help make sure you and Izzy didn’t want for anything. I know it wasn’t easy for my mom after my dad died, and I was so much older than Izzy. It wasn’t… I just—”
“You did that for me?”
I can see him thinking it through, trying to find a glib remark or a joke. Trying to stuff down what he’s feeling the way he usually does. Or tell me he did it for my brother. And then I can see him deciding not to do any of those things. He turns in his seat, fully facing me, and lifts a hand to cup the side of my face. “Yes, Ruthie, I did it for you.”
My heart is brimming with pride and love. That flame inside of me, the one that’s refused to gutter and die through so many disappointments, flares brighter as I lean in and kiss Shane, in front of my brother. In front of Tank. In front of everyone. And I couldn’t care less about making an exhibition of myself.
Distantly, through the haze of Shane, of love, which is blanketing every other disappointment and fear, I hear someone come in, and then Leonard’s distinctive voice. “Ho-ly shit. I heard y’all were back to torture us some more. Whatcha been up to, anyway?”
“Well, now,” Nicole says. “That’s a story.”
Later that day, Nicole and I pull into the parking lot of my apartment building. The guys are hard at work on Vanny—Tank, Burke, and Leonard are all working together to fix the interior while Danny, Shane, and Michael make runs around town to pick up the other things I need, the ones that can’t be fixed. They’re doing it together, friends again, and I’m as over the moon about that as both of them are. Leonard’s girlfriend and Burke’s fiancée have joined Mira at my brother’s apartment, and Mira called to say they’d like to take Izzy out for a spa afternoon. When she put Izzy on the phone, she sounded so excited I nearly started crying all over again.
My heart is full. All of those times I felt alone, like the whole weight of my world was resting on my shoulders, it wasn’t. I had support. I had a scaffolding. I still can’t fully comprehend that Shane was my wishlist admirer all this time, helping me in a way that didn’t make me feel ashamed or condescended to. Shane, who didn’t want to be thanked or acknowledged. Who did it just to make sure that I was getting by, even though I thought the worst of him.
Shane, who has been suffering in his own way, and needs someone to look out for him the way he’s been looking out for me. I’ve been trying—all this past week, I’ve been working on my secret project for him right alongside the work I’ve done for Vanny.
Damien, I guess, is out looking for my mother. He says the police will be doing the same, but he clearly agrees with Nicole that they can find her faster. Cases like mine aren’t a priority for the overloaded department.
That’s also why Nicole and I are here to talk to Mrs. Longhorn. “You’d be surprised,” Nicole says. “Old people notice shit. Most of them don’t have much else to do but notice things.”
We get out of the car, and I lead the way, but then I stagger to a stop.
My front door is hanging open, the latch broken. The camera sags from where it was mounted above the door. My whole body is rigid, my gaze fixed on the door. Terror trails the adrenaline rush, followed by rage.
“Oh my God, someone broke into my apartment,” I call out, running toward it. Because Flower. My little Flower—
Nicole pulls me back, hard enough that I almost fall off my feet.
“Don’t be a fucking idiot,” she hisses into my ear. “You don’t just go charging in there. What if the perp’s lying in wait?”
“So what do we do?” I ask in an undertone, feeling another tremble work through my body. What if I adopted that little dog only for something horrible to happen to her?
“I’m going to charge in there, obviously.”
“Do you have a weapon?” I ask, nervous. I don’t know how I’ll feel about her answer either way. I don’t like guns, but I don’t want to find myself on the business end of one.
“I am a weapon,” Nicole intones, her gaze on the door. “But if you talk to Damien about this, maybe don’t mention that I went in alone.”
“I don’t think—” I start, but then a familiar, deeply loud bark rents the air, even as I hear the telltale sound of the door behind us cracking open.
“Flower!” I shout as the little dog runs to me. I gather her up in my arms and hold her to my chest, getting a sloppy face-lick for my efforts. “Mrs. Longhorn,” I say, turning to look at my neighbor, Flower still squirming in my arms. “You saved her.” Because surely my dog must have come from my neighbor’s apartment.
“Oh,” she says in her raspy voice. “So I suppose you’ll deign to talk to me now.”
“You’re Mrs. Longhorn?” Nicole asks, her gaze pinging between my neighbor and the broken door behind me, as if she still kind of wants to dart in there in the hopes she might catch someone raiding my refrigerator or stealing my underwear.
“Yes,” Mrs. Longhorn says with a sniff. “And I saw everything.”
Nicole nods in her direction. “I can tell this is an exciting moment for you. I’m just going to pop into Rachel here’s apartment, and then—”
“No one’s in Ruthie’s place,” Mrs. Longhorn says. “And the man didn’t get very far before this little dog started biting him in the shins.”
“Did you call the police?” I ask, breathless.
