AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Last year,” she said. “Ready to go?”
She didn’t want to talk about that time. She’d lied to her family about being at work that late. They’d just lecture her, as they knew she was putting in too many hours as it was and then to add on them being worried about her safety hadn’t been something she wanted to heap onto their shoulders.
“I’m glad you’re not there anymore,” he said. “For a number of reasons. Brian has a security system at his place.”
“He does,” she said. “We did too. The police would have been called if someone broke in.”
“But it takes time to get there,” he pointed out.
“It does,” she said. She wanted to drop this. She knew his father was a detective and had been killed on the job. Though he didn’t seem to have a problem talking about his past, this was one of those things that maybe neither of them wanted to address.
Nor did she want someone to get all protective of her.
“Was that what caused you to leave?” he asked.
“No,” she said. “Not fully.” They were walking out to his truck. “You know that I felt I just couldn’t do enough. I’d been feeling that for years. Once Morgan made the move here, the wheels started to turn in my head. I thought I’d be fine with her gone but realized I wasn’t. I missed her. It’s sad to think my best friend was my sister.”
“Why is that?” he asked. “I’d think that would be great. I’m an only child. I don’t even have many cousins. None around here.”
“I suppose you’re right,” she said. “I had friends in school and college. Close friends. But we all went our own way. Those in law school with me went onto bigger and better things. None of us had time to keep in touch.”
She hadn’t extended herself much. She was so excited to get hired right away and was slightly insulted when many told her she was nuts and wasting her time and education choosing the career path she had.
Mia didn’t think so back then. She didn’t think so now. She was trying to get to a point where she knew she just had to redirect and that was where she was at.
It was better for her peace of mind to feel she didn’t fail and rather tried something and discovered she was ready to move on.
Maybe talking to Cal about it the other night helped her feel that way. She’d have to thank him for it at some point.
“I know that feeling. I had friends in high school, but many moved on or out of the area.”
“Please,” she said. “I bet you have more friends than I’ll have in a lifetime. You talk to everyone. People speak so fondly of you. Not only has Brian said how much of a chatterbox you are but my brother also commented how you’re a social butterfly at the picnic.”
He laughed at her. “Those are acquaintances.”
“Those are people that if you called them for something, most would give you a hand,” she said. “If you ever bothered to ask for help.”
They were driving now and he turned to look at her. “You’re right. But not the people that I would go have a beer with much on a Friday night. That’s a smaller group.”
“I don’t believe that. I think you have a lot of people you socialize with but don’t open up to,” she corrected.
He hesitated and then said, “Same thing.”
“Not really. Someone like you could never be lonely.”
He laughed. Not a funny sound. “Loneliness doesn’t mean you are alone.”
“You’re right,” she said, sighing. “Which is another reason I moved here. I was both. Lonely and alone. Though I don’t see Morgan much. Well, it’s about the same as I did when we both lived in Philly, but it’s knowing she is so close by to see in person. Not just a phone call.”
“That does make a difference,” he said.
“Tell me about this place,” she said. She didn’t always like to go down these paths of serious discussions.
“My memories of it are this old Victorian home. It’s part of one of the colleges. I’m not sure what they use it for when it’s not a haunted house. I think it’s the theater department.”
“I’m sure they use it for that. Plays or setting up films. Lots of things they could do and it’d be fun.”
“Did you take any classes like that in college?” he asked, grinning at her.
