a sharp nod, turns on his heel, and goes out back.
He had his hand up my skirt a week ago, and he just walked away at the sight of another man holding me.
“So that movie?” Sebastian sidesteps around the island. I have to give him credit for understanding that giving me space increases his odds here.
“I don’t think so.” I flick my gaze up to peek at his expression but find myself drawn in by his dark eyes. It’s not as easy to look away as I’d like. “I’m just not ready.”
“And is that because of Brogan?” He lifts his chin and points his gaze out the window behind me. “Or because of Arrow?”
I stiffen. “Don’t act like you know me. You don’t.”
“No, Mia. I just want to. And when this world is full of people who want to take advantage of us more than they want to know us, I like to think that’s a good thing.” When I don’t reply, he sighs, fishes in the pocket of his low-slung jeans, and comes up with a folded slip of paper. “Here.”
I take it from his hands and frown. “What’s this?”
“It’s a list of everyone who had body work done on an SUV this winter. We’re not the only place in town, so it’s only a small piece of the puzzle, and you can’t tell anyone I gave that to you, but I hope it helps.”
I unfold the paper and scan the list. “Coach Wright’s here.”
Sebastian shakes his head. “Yeah, I worked on that one myself. Not what you’re looking for. He hit a doe coming out of his driveway.”
“Okay.” I press the paper to my chest. “Thank you. This means a lot.”
“I know you think you want answers,” he says, his gaze steady on the men on the other side of the window, “but before you dig too deep, make sure you’re really ready for them. Answers to these kinds of questions rarely bring us the peace we seek.”
“And what do you know about it?”
He gives me a sad smile. “How are you holding up? I overheard Coach talking to Mrs. Barrett today. She told him the news about Brogan. I just wondered how you were taking it.”
“News?” The only thing that’s been consistent in my life since the accident has been Brogan. When it comes to him, nothing changes. No matter how hard I pray. “About what?”
“His kidneys. Since they decided not to do dialysis. Don’t you . . .” He flinches. “Shit. You didn’t know. Why haven’t they told you?”
“What about his kidneys?” I ask, but he just shakes his head and doesn’t have to say more. Suddenly, I’m in the dark again, the sleet biting into my skin as I climb from the car and rush to the boys. I’m in the dark feeling for a pulse. I’m in the dark punching numbers into my phone, watching with detached fascination as blood smears across the screen.
“Mia? Mia?” I open my eyes, and I’m on the floor, the cool tile pressing into my back. Sebastian leans over me, his hand on my face. “Look at me. Breathe. Okay?”
“What happened?” Arrow’s voice. “Jesus, is she okay?”
Arrow crouches down next to me and brushes the hair from my face. Sebastian shakes his head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know they hadn’t told her.”
“Shit,” Arrow whispers.
“I’m fine.” I smack away Arrow’s hands and sit up. And I am. I’m . . . just fine.
Arrow
Eight hours later, I still want to punch Sebastian Crowe in his smug face. I want to kick him in the balls and tell him to never touch Mia again. But I can’t. She deserves to be happy. Whether that’s with Sebastian or someone else, I’m not going to stand in the way.
“Mrs. Barrett?”
I sit up in bed when I hear her voice on the other side of the wall.
“Yeah. It’s Mia. Sorry I’m calling so late.” Her voice is broken. She sounds upset. “I was calling to see how Brogan’s doing . . . Yeah. I’m coming tomorrow. I—”
I close my eyes and mentally fill in the gaps of the conversation. Is Mrs. Barrett talking about the squirrel they watched running across the backyard today? Or has she, in her grief, resorted to her old cold attitude toward Mia?
“Can you just tell me?” Mia asks. “Is he dying?” A pause. “Isn’t there anything they can—” A broken sob. “But can’t they just . . .? I know.”
I don’t need the other side of the conversation to know