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“Take care.”
She tapped the screen to end the call. Sitting in silence, it all crashed over her at once.
Dad is gone. He’s never coming back.
What was the last thing I said to him?
Did he know how much I loved him? How much I appreciated the life he’d given me and the one he’d saved me from? Did he know how grateful I am for his support and belief in me?
A quiet knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. She got up and grabbed the damp towel to cover her naked body as she opened it.
Jasmine held out a bottle of wine. “Thought you could use this.”
Emma let her in and shut the door behind her. “Honestly, I think I drank enough last night to last me a while.”
“Oh, sorry. You did look pretty rough when you got here.”
Flashes of the previous evening assaulted Emma as she grabbed another bottle of water from the small fridge. She offered Jasmine one, but her friend shook her head.
“Do you need me to do some laundry?” Jasmine motioned to the towel.
“Actually, yeah. I’ve only got one clean outfit. I have some stuff at Dad’s . . .” Emma’s words stuck in her throat. She couldn’t go there yet, knowing it would be empty.
“No problem. You can borrow some of mine.” Jasmine crawled onto the bed, sitting against the headboard with a pillow tucked behind her. Emma opened her backpack, pulled out the spare pair of clothes she had, and dipped into the bathroom to change.
Once she was dressed, she climbed on next to Jasmine.
“So, where did you sleep last night?” her friend asked suspiciously.
Emma closed her eyes. The vivid imaged of Link’s naked body beneath hers flashed through her mind.
Let’s keep this between us. Link’s words cut short the bittersweet memories. What’s one more secret? One more game of pretend?
Emma shrugged. “A friend’s.”
Jasmine pushed against her shoulder playfully. “The kind of friend who leaves bite marks, huh?”
Panic stole Emma’s breath. She’d forgotten about the marks. Good thing I didn’t tell her where I’d stayed.
One of the many masks she wore slid into place. Emma smiled and waggled her eyebrows. “Those are the best types.”
Jasmine laughed, but concern flashed in her green eyes.
“What?” Emma asked.
“Just don’t make the same mistake I did. Sex offers only a temporary relief. Eventually, you have to face what you’re running from before it destroys you.” Jasmine spoke from her own experience.
Emma placed her hand over her friend’s. “I know. Promise it was a one-time thing.”
“I get it. Just know I’m here for you.” Jasmine squeezed her hand.
“I can’t believe he’s gone,” Emma confessed.
“Solomon was a good man. Can’t tell you how many times he and Link fixed my old beater car for basically free,” Jasmine mused.
“He was the very best.” Solomon had been the only one to choose her in her life.
“What he did—taking you in after your mother left . . .” Jasmine rested her palm on Emma’s leg. “He was a kind man.”
