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“Do you guys have everything you need?” I glance over at Tori in question.
Her expression dims, and she shakes her head. “That isn’t why I wanted you to meet her, Madden. We’re fine. We don’t need anything. I just wanted her to know you.”
I nod, feeling like an asshole for even offering to help. Tori rifles through her purse, pulls out a piece of paper, and holds it out for me.
“I know you’re still coming to terms with this,” she says. “I could see it when we talked at the diner. But this is the DNA test. It’s all there if you want proof.”
I glance at the paper, but I don’t take it. “You have nothing to prove to me, Tori. If Olivia wants me to be a part of her life, then that’s all I need to know.”
Tori offers me a watery smile. “Thanks, I appreciate that. My dad passed away a few years ago, and even though my mom is good with her, she’s so far away. Sometimes it feels like we’re just an island. Olivia asks about her dad and her family, and I don’t really know what to tell her.”
I return my gaze to the little girl as she makes her way over from the swing set. “You’ll find the right words when she gets older. Just give it time.”
She nods, and we both let the subject drop as Olivia comes bounding our way. “Mom, did you see how high I went on the swing?”
“I sure did,” Tori answers. “Olivia, do you remember me telling you who you were going to meet today?”
Olivia turns her attention to me, her big green eyes roaming over my face like she isn’t quite sure what to think of me. The verdict is in a moment later when she offers me a shy smile.
“Hi, Madden,” she says. “I’m Olivia.”
“Hello, Olivia,” I greet her.
“Do you like to swing?” she asks. “I bet I can go higher than you.”
Tori laughs, and I rise for the challenge. “I guess there’s only one way to find out.”
Over the next hour, Olivia does, in fact, prove she can go higher than me. She also shows me her skills at tic-tac-toe, hopscotch, and tumbling in the grass. By the time Tori calls it a day, Olivia is exhausted, and I am too. But I’m content as I imagine Olivia meeting Zoe and the two of them playing together. And somewhere in that picture, I want to imagine Bianca would be here too. I think she and Tori have a lot in common, but I can’t take the risk of re-introducing them now with so many unanswered questions.
I walk Tori and Olivia to their car, and she gets Olivia settled inside and shuts the door.
“Thanks for coming today. She had so much fun.”
“We’ll have to do it again soon,” I tell her.
Tori nods, but she doesn’t get into the car. She’s looking around uncertainly, and I don’t know why until she finally releases a shaky breath.
“Madden, there’s something I’ve been thinking about,” she says.
“What is it?”
“I didn’t want to mention it.” She shuffles her feet and crosses her arms. “I didn’t want you to get your hopes up or anything. It could be nothing.”
I wait for her to continue, but she doesn’t.
“Tori, you can tell me. Whatever it is, you can trust me.”
“I know.” She jerks her chin. “I just feel bad I couldn’t suggest it sooner, and now I don’t know how helpful it could be. I was going to tell your parents, but—”
“But they were assholes to you,” I finish for her.
She laughs. “Yeah, they were.”
“So what is it?”
She glances down at her feet and then moves her gaze back to mine. “Adam had a hiding place at TCA. I saw it when we were still dating. There’s a hidden safe in the janitor’s closet under the floorboards. He moved them to access it.”
I process that information silently while Tori continues to ramble.
“It’s probably nothing. I doubt it’s even still there, but I mean… there’s a chance. I don’t think Stefan knew about it because that’s where Adam kept his stash of pills. Or at least that’s what he told me when he caught me trying to look at it and he freaked the hell out on me. And I just keep thinking about that and wondering what else he had in there that he didn’t want me to see. It’s probably a long shot, but I figured if there’s even a sliver of hope that it could have something to help with his case, it might be worth mentioning.”
A heavy feeling settles over me as I consider the possibility. She’s right that this could be important, but I don’t want to get my hopes up either.
“Thank you, Tori. I’ll look into it.”
“Just… be careful, okay?” she says. “I don’t want any more trouble for you.”
