Presley repeated with a sigh.
“Are you okay?” Lila Jean asked her.
“I know I’m not supposed to be, but I think I am.” Presley wore a thoughtful expression.
“You’re supposed to be whatever you are,” Brooke said helpfully. “You’re allowed to feel whatever you feel.”
Presley looked down at her shoes. “Even if I’m hoping for the worst?”
Her confession didn’t surprise me. She wasn’t happy with Dallas. I knew that she wasn’t wishing him dead, she was just wishing to be done.
“Honey,” Brooke said. “It’s not the worst if you’re hoping for it.”
“I feel awful that I don’t feel awful.”
“Oh, lemme just squeeze past ya…” an unfamiliar voice said, and the woman pushed through our group, followed by two other couples, inside the event room.
We waited for them to pass, and then Presley continued. “You know, it’s been like that scene from War of the Roses where she’s thinking her husband died and she’s not sad. She’s thinking about all the crap she’ll never have to put up with again. She’s not glad he’s dead, but she’s glad to be free.”
I could understand that. I’d felt it about myself. After Austin, the Council thought I was dead. For a moment, I’d let myself consider what that meant for me. It was like the start of my new life.
No, it hadn’t been like the start of my new life, it had been the start of my new life. I’d retired and then I’d married Marc.
“Of course, now that I said it, he probably is actually dead and some asshole heard me and is going to report me and I’m not going to get any of the life insurance payout.” Presley’s eyes widened. “That makes me sound even worse.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Lila Jean reassured her. “It makes you sound practical. Women have to think about those kinds of things and what they mean for us and our children. I mean, what would you do to support your kids if Dallas was dead?”
Presley nodded slowly. “He basically has to be at this point, doesn’t he? Or he just abandoned me and the kids. Me, he might. But those kids were his pride and joy. He’d never just leave for a business trip and not come back.”
“At least you believe me now that I’m not having an affair with your husband,” Brooke replied.
“I guess I do owe you an apology.” Then her eyes narrowed. “Speaking of apologies, where is Sharice?”
“She texted me she was going home early. She was too upset about what happened to Lindsey and with Dallas missing…” Brooke shrugged.
“It’s interesting, you know?” Presley said. “Back in school, if any of us had a hangnail, the whole world stopped. Lindsey is dead, and everything is carrying on as if it never happened.”
“It puts things into perspective, even for our small town,” Brooke said. “Although, I haven’t really recognized a lot of people. I’m ashamed to say I didn’t pay close enough attention.”
“I did,” Presley said. “I hand-lettered every single invitation.”
“We should probably get our table and claim our team name,” Lila Jean said as another group pushed through us. “Or we could at least get out of the middle of the door.”
“I organized the thing. If I want to stand in the middle of the doorway, I will.” Presely sniffed indignantly.
“That’s the hill you’re going to die on?” I asked her. Reaching for my water bottle, I realized I hadn’t brought it. Not that there was water in it anyway.
Wordlessly, Brooke handed me a flash.
“No.” She pouted. “I just want thing to make sense. I want to be in control of something. Anything. The only thing I can control right now is where I stand.”
Lila Jean rubbed her arm. “Oh honey.”
“Come one. Let’s go win this shit. What’s the prize?” Brooke asked.
“A wine club membership,” Presley answered, her voice almost drowned out by the roaring din inside the room.
“Sounds right up my alley,” Lila Jean said, peering inside
“I’ll catch up with you guys in a minute. I’m gonna hit the ladies,” I said.
Lila Jean narrowed her eyes at me and I pointed to the sign immediately to the left of us.
“It’s right there. Come with me if you want.” A shiver slid down my back. If something was living in the vent shafts, was it looking down in the bathrooms, too? Of course, I had to pee so badly that I didn’t care.
Even being a stepmom meant that I didn’t get to go to the bathroom by myself. Ever. After the Great Reveal, and the