“Well, I can understand that. Both why you left and why he might feel like he had to be so controlling. It’s… it’s a scary world now.”
“I know it is. I should’ve…” She sighs and shakes her head. “I keep telling myself I didn’t know better, but it feels like I got punished for being stupid.”
“No! No, no, no, don’t ever let yourself believe that. What happened wasn’t because of anything you did. Sometimes I want to blame myself too because I was the one who riled him up by rejecting him. And Cade could blame himself for embarrassing him in public. But none of us are to blame for what he did. Only he was.”
Poppy’s brown eyes are wide and earnest. “I do believe that. I mean, I try to keep reminding myself it’s true. But I still… I don’t want to be here anymore.”
“That’s perfectly understandable. Since you have another safe option, there’s no reason why you have to be here. So if you want to go home, you should go home. I bet your folks will be thrilled to have you back.”
“I hope… I mean, I think so. But I’m scared to tell Nell.”
“You don’t have to be scared. She’ll get it. She’ll let you go without any trouble. She always has other girls waiting for jobs here, so she’ll be able to fill your bed with no downtime.”
“Okay. That’s what I was hoping. Would you… I mean, would you mind coming with me when I tell her?”
“I’ll be happy to. And I can even walk you back home if you want so you don’t have to make the trip alone.”
“I thought about that, but then you’ll have to make the return walk all by yourself.”
“Oh yeah. Maybe Danny can?—”
“I thought about him too, but he has outhouse duty today.”
“We can find someone to come with us. I bet Pete will do it. The three of us can make the walk to your home, and then I’ll have someone with me on the way back.”
“That would be great. Thank you. You don’t think… you don’t think I’m a loser who’s giving up, do you?”
“What? No! No way. This life isn’t for everyone. And I don’t think it’s a first choice for any of us. You have another reasonable option. You have a family who loves you. Even if your dad isn’t perfect, in a world like this, it’s better to be with people you love.”
“In any world.”
I cock my head to one side. “What?”
“Inanyworld. In any world, it’s better to be with people you love.”
“Y-yeah.” My throat has tightened up.
Not since my grandfather died have I had anything like that.
Nell accepts the news of Poppy leaving with her typical no-nonsense calm, telling the girl to stay safe and then immediately making plans to choose her replacement.
Poppy is glad the conversation is over, and while she’s in her room packing, I wander toward the storage building in the backyard to see if I can track down Pete.
He’s there, sorting through a full crate of liquor.
“Look what Bella’s crew scavenged for us,” he says, grinning at me over his shoulder. “It’s all top-shelf.”
“Fantastic.” I come over to admire the labels of the bottles he’s been pulling out from the crate. “What a windfall.”
“Nell’s going to add another level to the entry for people who want to pay for the high-end stuff.”
“Good plan. I bet she’s as pleased as punch, as my grandfather used to say. Are you going to be busy with this all day?”
“Nah. I was just admiring the goods. You got something you need me to do?”
“Poppy’s leaving.”
“I heard tell.”
