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Chapter Twenty-Seven
XAN
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Millie picks at herglove in the passenger seat and I try to contain my buzzing energy with little success.
“Is anyone ever going to tell me what’s going on?” She asks.
Her face is so earnest, and her shoulders slumped, I feel bad for this wicked smart little girl who just wants to know something. She reminds me of Tabby when she was little, wide eyed and taking it all in, but she only got a tiny bit of reality, we made sure to protect her from seeing and hearing things that would hurt her, we couldn’t ever protect her from feeling them. And that sparkly eyed girl became suspicious, anxious, always second guessing.
I don’t want that for Millie either.
So, I tell her as much of the truth as I can in that moment. “Honestly, probably not.”
Her shoulders slump even deeper.
“But here’s what I can tell you. It has absolutely nothing to do with anything you’ve done or said. Everything we’re doing right now is because we want what’s best for you. You’re a kid, Millie. We want you to have fun, make friends, win some baseball games,” I say with a wink and she cracks a small smile. “We trust you and will tell you anything you need to know if we need your help. Can you trust us?”
She thinks about it for a little bit, picking at the ends of her braid and then nods as we turn off the highway to the school.
“Yes,” she says. “I can trust you.”
“So, I have to go see someone today,” I park along the street outside the school field. Del is already there with her glove. “Del is going to work with you two, okay?”
A small frown knits her brows low into a worried frown. “Are you okay though?”
I lean across the truck and cup her face in my hand. “I’m okay. No more worrying. Only fun from now on. That’s an order young lady.” I try out my Dad voice, but she bursts out laughing and I smack my jaw like I ate something gross.
“Yeah, that didn’t really work,” I joke. “I’ll keep working on it.”
I tap her cheek with my thumb and her laugh turns into giggles. “Good idea.”
She hops out and waves to Del, but the second she sees Sarah hop out of her mom’s minivan she reverts back into a ten-year-old kid. They screech out their hellos and sprint off to the field.
Del stops by the truck and leans in my window. “What’s up, big brother?”
She accuses me with her eyes and drop my voice to a hush. “I think Dad might be the one threatening Briggs.”
Her chin snaps up in shock. “What? That’s absurd.”
I contemplate whether to tell her about Dad and Amalie’s love affair.
“It is. But I have to find him.”
“I know where he is,” Del sighs.
“How?”
“He came back again, after you chased him off.”
“Why didn’t anyone call me?”
“Because, Xan. You don’t have to be the one to save us all the time. Jesus you’re a control freak. We dealt with it. But I put him up at the hotel. Paid for a week, told him to gather his shit and get out of town for good.”
“You know he’s probably already asked for a cash refund and bolted, right?”
Del shrugs. “Good luck. Don’t be stupid, alright?”
