“You’re lying to me.”
“Yes,” she agreed calmly.
God, I adored her.
I stared at the floor for a second, taking in the truth of the thought. Well. That was inconvenient.
Winnie disappeared briefly into the bathroom before returning with water and aspirin. “Here.”
I obediently took both.
“You’re suspiciously good at this,” I whispered.
She smiled. Without the chaos of the club around us, without music or crowds or drinks, she was quieter again. Not closed off. Just mellowed.
She turned toward the door after a moment. “You should sleep.”
Panic arrived unexpectedly fast; I didn’t want the night to end. Before I could think better of it, I reached out and caught her hand lightly.
“I’d…” My throat felt strangely tight suddenly despite the alcohol. “I’d love to talk for a while… if you don’t mind.”
Her gaze softened. “All right.” She sat beside me, tucking one leg under her. She was so close I could smell her perfume beneath the lingering scent of bourbon and smoke from the club.
“What would you like to talk about?” she asked.
And because I was drunk and tired and emotionally stripped down to exposed wiring, I said the truth. “Jade.”
Winnie smiled gently as she smoothed the sheet with her hands. “Tell me about her.”
There was no pity in her voice, nor was there a careful therapeutic tone. Just genuine interest, which made it easier for me to speak about my dead wife.
“She was terrifying,” I said immediately.
Winnie laughed softly. “A lawyer, right?”
“The most aggressive corporate attorney I’ve ever met.” I smiled despite myself. “A petite five-foot-six woman and capable of making grown executives cry.”
“I would have liked her.”
“You would’ve loved her. Collecting grudges was a hobby of hers.”
Winnie smiled at that.
I found myself talking easier than I expected afterward. About law school. About how Jade drank terrible coffee, insisting it built character. About how she always forgot where she put her shoes.
Winnie listened to all of it. Not once did she interrupt or try to redirect the conversation like most people did when the uncomfortable subject of death came up.
“What kind of law did she practice?” she asked.
“Corporate litigation mostly.”
“Did she enjoy it?”
“She enjoyed winning.”
“That counts.”
“It definitely counted for Jade.”
