“Why not?”
“I can’t leave Manson.”
“Ask one of your friends to take him.”
“You know Manson. They won’t,” she lied.
“Then board him. I’ll cover the costs.”
“It’s not about the costs, Dalton. There are other houses. Catch a plane. I’ll even drive to Lexington and meet you.”
“What’s going on, T.A.?”
“Nothing,” she prevailed. “Come, Dalton. Please.”
“I really want to see this house.”
Her hand gripped the phone tightly. Christmas wishes wouldn’t come true if you didn’t ask for them.
“There’s a house I want you to see, in Treepoint. It’s perfect for you…” It took every ounce of her courage for her to finish her sentence. “It’s perfect for us.”
“I don’t want to live in Treepoint. It’s too far away from Dax and Grace.”
“But it’s close to me.” Thank God, he couldn’t see the tears that were gliding down her cheeks.
“T.A., we’ll talk about it when you’re here.”
She gave a sad smile that he was unable to see.
“There’s nothing to talk about. You’ve already made your decision, and I’ve already made mine.”
“Are you saying you’re going to break up with me unless I come?”
“No, that’s what you’re saying,” she countered, putting the ball in his court. “If that house you want to see is more important than being with me, then we have nothing to say. Please, Dalton, come. I miss you.”
T.A. ended the call afraid she wouldn’t be able to hold her sobs back any longer. She muted the phone when he immediately called back, letting it go to voicemail that she had no intention of listening to.
She had been standing by the wall beside the door. Shakily leaning back, she felt her legs crumpling from underneath her. As she sobbed, she didn’t hear the door open, but she felt Crazy Bitch sit down beside her, placing a comforting arm over her shoulders.
“What happened?”
“I broke up with Dalton.”
“Why?”
“Because he would rather buy a house in Bumfuck, Egypt, than in Kentucky if it’s close to Dax and Grace.”
“You knew he was house hunting.”
“House hunting, not buying. I was hoping to change his mind before he bought one. If he sees this house, he’ll buy it. It’s everything he wants.”
“And everything you don’t want. Is that the problem?”
“Yes,” she wailed, letting her cheek fall to Crazy Bitch’s shoulders as she cried harder. “What should I do?”
“Sex Piston will be back from the pediatrician in ten minutes. Wait and ask her.”
“Okay, she’ll tell me what to do.”
“She can’t fix it, T.A. Only you can. You and I both know what she’s going to say. Do what you want to do, for God’s sake. For the first time in your life, do what’s right for you.”
“I can’t.”
“Why?”
“Because I want him to move closer to me, and he won’t.”
“Then Dalton is the only one who can fix your problem. You want me to make him? That I can do.”
“No, he knows you’re a dirty fighter, and he’s too smart to choose Sex Piston. You think Fat Louise could take him?”
“For you? Definitely.”
* * *
T.A. set the pumpkin pie down on the table next to the exact same one that Killyama had placed on the table.
Willa and Lucky both greeted her as she walked past to take a seat at the large round table that Lily and Beth had claimed before the other church parishioners arrived. The pastor reached out to give her a welcoming smile.
“I’m glad you were able to make the church’s Christmas Eve dinner this year. We missed you last year.”
T.A. forced a smile to her lips. “Me too. Merry Christmas, Pastor. Willa.”
Lucky shook her hand. “Thanks for the pie. It’s my favorite.”
“Then you have plenty. There’s four of them over there.”
“I’ll be fortunate to get a slice. We have a large crowd this year. Even Ginny took time out of her schedule to spend tonight and tomorrow with Willa.”
T.A. turned her attention back to Willa. “I bet that made your Christmas. I know how close you are.”
“She’s like my little sister. I miss having her in Treepoint.”
“I know you do.” Out of the corner her eye, she saw Killyama motioning to her. Willa saw her too. “Go ahead. I think she wants you to watch Ela while she fixes a plate.”
Walking to the table, she took the seat next to Killyama to hold her hands out.
“Finally. You can talk to them after I eat.”
“Go ahead.”
Her friend didn’t have to be told twice. Cooing to the little girl, she stared around the filled room. Lucky hadn’t been joking; the room was full of townspeople. Taking her cell phone from the baby’s clutching hand, she saw she had three missed calls just since she entered the church. Dalton wouldn’t stop calling, and he had enlisted the help of Grace and Dax to try to convince her to come to their Christmas dinner. She had stopped taking their calls and texts too.