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Acting as though Alec didn’t speak, Mia continues. “He was lying. I know I’ve been naïve. Willfully blind to the truth is probably more accurate. I didn’t know just how far he was willing to go, and I didn’t… I didn’t see the truth in time.” Mia walks over to us, keeping her spine straight. “I’m right about this, though. I have to be.” There’s a fire burning in her eyes. Twin flames of determination rest in the sockets, and I believe what she’s saying.
“Okay,” I agree. Feeling as though I’m losing my grip on the situation, something I can’t afford. “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you sooner. What do you want to do?” It seems only fitting that she gets to decide.
I expect Mia to say something like, ‘Let’s head to the basement and get answers.’ I don’t expect her to say, “Let’s go out for dinner.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea, Baby?”
Turning her chocolate brown eyes on Alec, she says, “No, I’m not. But if there really is someone else out there, they’ve been there regardless of if we knew about it. The way I see it, nothing has changed. Things are neither more nor less dangerous, it just means we’re aware. And I want to get out of the house, spend some time somewhere else. Pretend we’re ordinary people living ordinary lives, even if it’s just for a few hours.”
“What about our pet?” Kas asks.
Canting her head to the side, Mia looks toward the basement door. “Martin is monitoring the spy cam until we’re back home.”
We all agree because fuck me, that sounds like something we need. Even though the practical side of me insists we should play it safe, there’s no denying Mia is right. We need some time to breathe, to be us. And if Martin is watching Neil, there’s nothing stopping us, is there?
It doesn’t take long before we’re all seated in one of Dolce’s booths and have placed our orders. Looking up, I meet Mia’s gaze, the smile on her lips telling me she’s thinking of happier times here, just like I am.
“Nice joint,” Kas whistles as he looks around. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather invest in a place like this instead of Second Chances?”
“What?” Alec and I ask at the same time.
Next to me, Mia is muttering angrily under her breath. “How did you find out?”
“But why would you do that?” Alec asks, sounding more distressed than grateful. Tugging at his hair so it’s more unruly than it already was. “I don’t understand, Baby.”
I take a sip of my wine, swallowing slowly. “I think someone needs to start at the beginning.”
Mia smoothes the fabric of the emerald green dress she’s wearing with a sigh. “I… Well… I made an anonymous donation toward Second Chances.” The ‘anonymous’ is almost hissed as she gives Kas an exasperated look. Giving me the impression she isn’t happy that we know.
Undeterred, Kas interjects, “A substantial donation.”
“It’s just money,” Mia spits through clenched teeth. “Truthfully, I had forgotten all about it. I asked Mark to make the donation on my behalf. It seems like that happened in another lifetime, and I hadn’t given it any thought until Kas brought it up.”
“How much money are we talking about?” Alec asks, sounding as though he doesn’t believe either of them.
Kas’ grin grows as he says, “Let me put it like this, it makes the money you lost look like a drop in the ocean.”
Holy shit… He wasn’t lying. That is a substantial amount—a game-changing amount.
“We only just received the money after Mark’s assets were unfrozen, so I didn’t put two and two together right away. But I asked our girl last night, and she confirmed. Although we agreed she would be the one to tell you guys, I figured she would need a helping hand to get started.”
“Yeah, thanks a lot,” Mia snarks. “I wanted you guys to have Second Chances, no matter what happened between us. I asked Mark to make the donation for me. It was the night Lila found me, and I hadn’t thought about it since. I… It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, but I don’t regret it. I want you guys to have your dream. Each of you has helped me so much, and you have so much to give together and individually. Really, it would be tragic if you don’t get to help those in need.”
Alec leans closer to our girl and whispers, “Just how much money are we talking about? I know it shouldn’t matter, but someone needs to tell me.” He isn’t wrong. Even though it shouldn’t matter, it does.
Mia pulls a pen from her small handbag and writes something on the napkin, stopping now and then to shoot daggers at Kas, who has started to fidget under Mia’s unrelenting glare.
Placing my hand on Mia’s thigh, I squeeze until I get her attention. “Are you really angry he’s told us?” I ask, needing her to clarify.
Blowing a few tendrils from her forehead, Mia looks directly at Kas as she answers me. “No, I’m frustrated with myself for not telling you as soon as we came home this morning.”
Came home… That has a nice ring to it!
It makes me feel a lot better to know she isn’t really upset with Kas, I don’t want us to keep secrets anymore—which is ironic since I still have all mine.
“Mia, this is a lot of money.” Alec waves the napkin in her face.
“Oh, for Pete’s sake, not this again. It’s just money,” she says with a shrug. “You guys are not getting it, and I’m not good at this. Please be patient with me.” We wait for several minutes of silence, all while Mia is pondering what to say.
