I glanced at my watch. It was after two, and I was starving. “You know what? I think that’s enough for today. I can wrap things up on my own.” We only stayed open until four in the winter months, and if I had to deal with Serena for two more hours, one of us would end up dead, and the other would be arrested for murder.
“Are you sure?” Addie asked.
Serena grabbed her purse from where she’d left it on one of the chairs. “As long as I get paid for the full day, I don’t care.”
And with that, she was gone, the bell reverberating against the door and the sound echoing in my skull. I dropped my head to my desk. “Do you think if I pay her, I can just tell her not to come in?”
Addie rubbed a hand up and down my back. “It’s hard to believe she’s related to Gilly and Kay.”
“After Jase died, her parents spoiled her,” I muttered against the desk’s surface. “I understand why, but it’s like she turned into a person I don’t even recognize anymore.” I missed the girl who had long heart-to-hearts with me, picked wildflowers in the meadow, and wanted nothing more than to tag along with her big brothers.
Addie continued her soothing strokes, and I reveled in the feeling. How long had it been since someone had consoled me like this? I honestly couldn’t remember. I rarely let my guard fully down around Gilly and Kay because I didn’t want my pain to weigh on them. The simple human kindness of Addie’s touch made my eyes burn.
“I think she’s going to need some firm boundaries. I’m just sorry you’ll have to be the one to put them in place. Unless you think Gilly will step up?”
I straightened in my chair, Addie’s hand slipping away. I shook my head. “She won’t. After she lost Jase, it’s too hard for her to be firm with Serena and Jax.” Addie knew the broad strokes of what had happened but not the fine details. Not how I’d held Jase’s hand as he slipped away, or just how complicated my relationships were with the other members of his family.
Her mouth thinned. “It’s not fair for that pressure to fall to you, though.”
It wasn’t. In the same way I didn’t want to be the dumpster for Jax’s pain anymore. It took too much. “You’re right, but it’s complicated.”
“It always is. You just let me know how I can help.”
I reached over and squeezed her arm. “Thank you. Just having you here is helping me not lose my mind.”
She chuckled. “I’ll do whatever I can to keep you sane.”
“A true friend.”
I pushed away from the desk and stood, but as I moved, my back spasmed. I clamped my mouth shut as I braced myself on the surface in front of me.
“What is it?” Addie asked, moving instantly to my side.
I pulled air in through my nose and let it slowly out through my mouth. “I’m okay.”
“No, you’re not.”
The cramp slowly subsided, and I was able to straighten again. “My back just wasn’t happy about sitting in that chair for so long.”
Addie’s eyes narrowed on me. She’d seen more glimpses of my pain than anyone else in recent years. It was harder to hide when you worked with someone multiple days a week for long hours.
“Really. Just kinks in these old muscles.”
“You aren’t old, Laiken.”
“Sometimes, I feel like I’m at least ninety.”
Addie continued studying me, trying to read between every word I said. “Why don’t you go lay down, and I’ll pick you up something to eat?”
“No, I’m fine. You should take off. I’ll probably close early today.”
She moved then pulled me into a hug. “I’m here if you need me. I know it’s not always easy to ask for help, but it’s always worth it in the end.”
My throat burned as my arms closed around her. “Thanks, Addie.”
Help was a tricky thing, though. If you started to count on it, that help could make you weak when it was no longer there.
Addie gave me one last squeeze before releasing me. “I’m just a phone call away.”