“Thanks.”And she’s right. Physically, I’malmost back to normal, aside from alittle lingering yellowness on my throat.
Mentally, I’m very much a work in progress.
She reaches out and squeezes my hand.“It'll get better.”
“I know it will.”McKenna says all I can do is take one day at a time, and lucky me, I’ve had more good days than bad. It also helps that I’m rarely alone. Ellis is a one-man support system, like no other.
Ellis sniffs the air like a dog scenting something on the wind.“What's that heavenly smell?”
Now that he mentions it, something does smell really good.
“Ribs,” Nora says, looking all too pleased.
I gasp, my mouth already watering. “From the Smoke Shack?”
She nods.
“You...you went there?”I ask,a perfect mix ofdisbelief and prideheavy in my voice. She really is the strongest person I know.She was quite literally snatched from their parking lot, And here she is, returning,quite literally,to the scene of the crime.
Meanwhile, despite nothing bad actually happening there,I have no desire to ever go toTheCreek again. I’ll also never eat at Miss Fortune’s, despite never actually stepping a foot in the building.
Hell, I’m struggling with returning to work. Lucky me, even without all of the facts, they’ve been nothing but patient and understanding. Even luckier, Silas and his guys somehow managed to make the whole Clint issue disappear—no investigation, no cops, no chance of anything falling back on Ellis.
She shrugs, trying to downplay what a badass she is.“Justto go. I figured we could face it together, but also at a safe distance.”
I haul myself up off the floor and wrap my arms around my best friend, hugging her tightly to me.“You know,”I whisper, just loud enough for her to hear.“When he had me, I kept thinking to myselfwhat would Nora do?You're the strongest person I know.”
She offers me a watery smile. “Right back at ya.”
“Well,”Atlas says, clearly uncomfortable with the displays of emotion.“If everyone's ready to eat, food's getting cold.”
“It is not,” Nora huffs. “It's all in the oven keeping warm.”
“Still.”He sounds so put out, I can’t help but laugh.
“I know, big guy.”Ipat him on the back as I head into the kitchen.“You're allergic to emotion outside ofthe privacy ofyour own home.”
He rolls his eyes. “Whatever.”
“Hey,”I say, catching his—and everyone else’s—attention.“While you're here, while we're all together, I think I owe you both an apology.”
All three of themexchange confused looksbefore Nora finally breaks the perplexed silence.“For what?”
“I mean...”I drag my teeth over mylip.“I kind of ruined your honeymoon, and I'm really?—”
“Don’t you dare apologize.” Atlas cuts me off. “You didn't ruin shit, Scarlet. Everything that happened was beyond your control.” The insistence in his voice shocks me, freezing me in place.
Elliscomes up behind me,rubbinghis hands over my arms.“He's right, Princess. Nothing that happened was your fault.”
“Thank you, both of you. I mean it.” I swipe furiously beneath my eyes.
Atlas grunts. “Don't mention it.”
But I can't help myself.“That hurt, didn't it?”
“What?”
He's looking at me like I've grown a second head.
