Poison & Wine - Melissa Toppen Page 0,39

Tommy would have wanted.

I didn’t want to accept the help. Honestly, it felt wrong to. But at the end of the day my brother deserves a proper funeral, and I’m not in the position to give him one.

Devin took care of all the arrangements. We’re having a small graveside service. I really have no idea how I’ll ever repay him, but one day I’m determined that I will.

As for work, I plan to go back next week. I have to do something. I can’t sit around in this apartment for the rest of my life. I’m going to need to figure out a more permanent living situation soon. I can’t imagine when Oakley brought me here she intended I’d be here more than a couple of days.

I can’t go back to Tommy’s apartment either. Not yet. There’s no way I could afford the rent even if I wanted to stay there.

Mike and some of the other guys from the shop went over and packed up his stuff yesterday, leaving me to only handle my own things. They moved all of Tommy’s belongings to a storage unit so that, when I’m ready, I can go through everything and decide what to keep and what to let go. I wonder if Tommy had any idea how many people truly cared about him, and in return, me as well.

So the only thing left for me to do now is go over and clear out my room. Not that there’s a hell of a lot there. A few little things. Some clothes. That’s really it.

When I moved in with Tommy, I was literally starting from the bottom. And I didn’t have time to move up the ladder much before everything went to shit.

I arch my head around the corner of the garage when I hear a child squeal.

I spot a little red headed girl running through the front yard, her curly pigtails bobbing up and down.

My back goes rigid when I see Oakley come into view. She chases after the little girl, laughing and scolding her all in the same breath.

When she swoops her into her arms, a cloud of confusion settles over me.

Is that…

Her daughter?

The thought doesn’t seem possible. Surely if Oakley had a child she would have told me. Wouldn’t she have?

Maybe she’s a friend’s or family member’s child that Oakley is watching. And yet, the matching auburn hair makes me think this isn’t the case.

I can’t get a good look at her face from this distance, but if I had to guess, I’d say she’s the spitting image of the woman holding her in her arms.

My confusion only grows.

I watch the two disappear from view, the sound of the car starting filling my ear drums seconds later.

I stand, dumbfounded as I watch the SUV back out of the driveway and take off down the road.

Chapter Fourteen

OAKLEY

* * *

“So what’s your plan?” Keira turns, pinning her gaze on me the moment Ellie disappears into her room.

Today is Tommy’s funeral, and even though Keira doesn’t approve of any of my decisions as of late, she took the day off work to keep Ellie anyway. I told her I would have Gianna watch her. It’s not uncommon for me to add an extra day throughout the week. Sometimes it’s so I can run errands, other times when I need a moment to catch my breath. But Keira insisted. I think mainly because she knew it would get me here and force me to have a conversation with her that I’ve been putting off the last few days.

I still haven’t forgiven her for telling Lance, nor have I really confronted her about it. I need some time. Time to process. Time to figure all this out. Time to decide if being with Lance is something I want to fight for.

While I think he’s an amazing man, I think I’ve been trying to force something that wasn’t there all along. Even though I will miss him. His easiness and how he makes me laugh, I think ending things is for the best.

I’m still not sure if we are technically broken up. I mean, I assume we are, based on what transpired the last time I saw him. That, and neither of us has tried to contact the other. I thought about calling him, smoothing things over and ending things on a good note, but something tells me that would probably only make things worse.

“What do you mean my plan?” I question my cousin who’s looking at