Semi-Psychic Life (Glimmer Lake #2) - Elizabeth Hunter Page 0,62
that came off the kitchen and disappeared onto the second floor.
Val turned to Josh. “Tell me why Savannah Anderson is any different than any of the hundred women you’ve screwed around with over the past eighteen years.”
Josh took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Because I think maybe I’m in love with her too.”
“Like you said you were in love with me? Or Rachel? Or Tracey? Or… Sarah?” She rolled her eyes. “Seriously, do you ever think about not being led around by your dick? Give it a try, just for shits and giggles sometime, okay? Because your oldest son—”
“This isn’t about Jackson and Andy,” Josh said. “This is you being offended because you like being offended.”
Val felt like screaming. “This is me being pissed off because I am trying to raise two men to not be like you!” She wanted to take the log by the woodstove and bash his head in with it. “It’s not fun and games anymore. You’re forty-four years old! Grow the hell up! Just try to think about someone other than yourself for once in your life and—”
“I am! I’m thinking about Savannah!” He sat on the couch. “If it wasn’t snowing out there, I would be on a snowmobile, heading back to town and then driving to the hospital right now. Do you understand me? I am in love with her. She is trapped in that marriage and she wants out. She told me she did.”
Val took a deep breath. “When?”
“What?”
“When did she tell you she wanted out?” She held out her hand. “What were you wearing? Were you holding anything? A wallet? A phone?”
“What are you talking about?” Josh reached for something in his back pocket. “You want my wallet?”
“Is there anything from Savannah in here?”
“I guess…” Josh took out a slip of folded paper that looked well-worn and handed it to her.
Val grabbed it and took off her right glove, letting the feel of the pink paper sink into her skin. She closed her eyes and felt the memories rising through the cloud from her antianxiety meds.
“…my phone number.”
“You’re giving me your phone number?” He slipped a small piece of paper into his wallet. “Is that safe?”
“He won’t know. I won’t program your number in. It’ll just be random. Or you can block it so he can’t see.” Her voice was worried. “Call me so I have your number though.”
“If you want to leave, you should just—”
“It’s not that easy,” she said. “He tied up all the money I had access to in the ski resort. He said it was because my credit is so good, but now all he’ll do is give me an allowance, and it’s never enough.”
“If you got a divorce—”
“He’d find a way to screw me,” Savannah said. “I’m working on a way to get a good lawyer, but until I have enough cash…”
Val dropped the paper on the storage chest and blinked. She closed her eyes and put a hand out. “Get me some water. No ice.”
“What were you doing?”
“Just get me some water, will you?”
She kept her eyes closed, but she heard him walking to the kitchen and filling a glass from the jug of purified water on the stove. He walked back and put the cool glass in her hand.
“What was that?”
“That was me making sure you’re telling the truth.” She opened her eyes and sipped the water. “You are.”
Josh still looked confused. “But what—”
“Don’t ask,” Val said quietly. “In recognition of all the favors you have never done for me, I am asking for this one thing. Don’t. Ask.”
Josh nodded silently. “Yes, we were having an affair. But she wasn’t just a fuck.”
“I can see that.”
“I’m really worried about her.”
Val nodded. “Then as soon as this storm lets up, we’re going to head down the mountain and you and Sully are going to the police in Bridger and you are going to tell them everything. And you’re not going to worry about Rachel breaking up with you if you tell the truth. Because she deserves to not be lied to.”
Josh nodded. “Okay.”
“And then you’re going to man up and figure out how to support Savannah as she tries to get out of a marriage to a certified asshole who maybe tried to kill her.”
“Do you really think he was trying to kill her?”
“I don’t know, but either way, tampering with anyone’s brakes ought to land you in jail.”