“We were thinking shopping and maybe takeout. You could borrow something of mine if you wanted to be more comfortable.”
It was my turn to look disbelieving. “Since when would I ever fit in your clothes?”
“You could!” Heidi cried. “I have a dress that would fit you so well.”
“Can we…can we talk before we go?” I asked.
Heidi and Emery shared one of their customary looks before nodding. We moved into the living room with the exposed wood beam ceiling and stone fireplace. It was stunning. Obviously custom built.
“What’s up?” Heidi asked. “Did something happen with you and Austin?”
“Yes, but no. Nothing serious.”
I frowned down at my tightly clasped fingers and then delivered the news I’d told Austin. A weight lifted off of me as I finally got to divulge who I really was to my friends. And better yet…they didn’t hate me. They didn’t hate me for lying and hiding who I was. Dillon had always said that anyone who really got to know me could never really like me. No one other than him, of course. It was hard to dispel that poisonous voice whispering in my ear.
“So,” Heidi said, shaking her head, “how about we skip shopping and get that restraining order?”
“All in favor, say aye,” Emery said.
“Aye!” Heidi and Emery said together. They raised their hands in unison.
“I’m going to go with Austin in the morning. I think he might be upset if I went without him.”
“This Dillon guy really did a number on you,” Emery said. “And I thought I’d had bad relationships.”
“Yeah, Julia, I can’t imagine what you’re still dealing with,” Heidi chimed in. “What you had to endure all those years.”
“Giving up a full-ride scholarship,” Emery muttered.
Of course she would snag on that. She’d gotten a full ride to Oklahoma and dropped out of her PhD program after her professor boyfriend cheated on her. She was now a high school teacher. I wasn’t surprised that the idea of someone smart screwing up in such a spectacular way hurt her.
“Not my best move.”
Not my worst either…
“Well, we don’t have to go out if you’re worried something could happen,” Heidi said.
“I’m not, but Austin is. I just can’t figure out what Dillon is up to. Why break into my car and steal nothing? Why take my jacket out of my own freaking apartment and then return it? I mean, he put it back on a hanger in my closet! Why have my car towed? Why freaking send the lilies?”
“He’s playing a game,” Emery said. “He wants it to all add up, to freak you out.”
“Yeah. He’s a manipulative bastard.”
“And you can’t prove he did any of that,” Heidi said, chewing on her bottom lip. “Even the towing. Didn’t you say that the guy had said the company called it in? He’s not leaving a trail. Just terrorizing you from afar.”
“Pussy,” Emery spat.
“Hey, a pussy can take a beating!” Heidi said. “I bet he’s more like balls. The slightest flick sends him to his knees.”
I laughed at her analogy. “Either way, he’s dangerous. I knew that when I got out. Having him here, in Lubbock…” I shuddered and closed my eyes.
The last time I’d seen Dillon flashed before my eyes. The way he’d held me. By my hair. The way he’d spat in my face. Literally and figuratively. The terror as he lost control. Fucked up on who knew how many drugs. Pissed at me for…God, everything. Just everything.
“Hey,” Heidi said, sinking into the cushion at my side. “You are not alone in this.”
Emery took the seat on the other side. “We are here. Austin is here. You have the full weight of the Wrights behind you.”
“And, really, all you need is us,” Heidi said, nudging me. “Em and I can fuck shit up.”
Emery rolled her eyes. “Have you been taking kickboxing again?”
“It’s a good workout.”
“Dear Lord.” Emery shook her head. “What she’s trying to say is…you have us. We’re sisters now. We’ll do everything to make this right.”
I wanted to believe them. I appreciated what they were saying. But they didn’t know Dillon. And, if they did, they wouldn’t want to get involved. I wouldn’t want them involved.
But I smiled and nodded. I agreed to stay in and have a chill night. Emery put on Buffy the Vampire Slayer while Heidi found some sweats and a T-shirt that did actually fit me, to my utter shock. I suspected the pants at least belonged to Landon.
“Oh my God,” Heidi said when she came back into the living room. “If we have to watch Angel become Angelus one more time, Em, I swear!”