"Well, I guess you'll find out if you're any good at your job, now won't you." Before they can get into it fully the room starts filling up with people. Men in suits are on phones while a pretty redhead comes rushing over to Sterling. As soon as I see the two of them together I can tell they must be close.
I step back until I am out of the room and in the hall with Celeste who has also stepped back from view. Talia is led out by the large man she stepped on earlier. "Leave before you spend the night trying to come up with bail money."
She yanks her arm out of his grasp and shoots him a dangerous go-to-hell glare before coming over to us. "I would suggest we get the hell out of here and lay low for a few days until they find out whatever it is they need to know to prove our innocence in this little drama."
I start to walk with them and remember everything I own is here. Clothes, furniture, electronics, it's all in this house. Talia grabs me by the hand. "You can stay with me until we can safely grab your stuff. Come on."
What else is there for me to do but follow her out of the house of my dreams where the man that I love lives with no idea I even exist other than being another problem on his agenda to plow through? I guess I’m the ghost now.
Chapter Ten
____________
Makenzie
We stop off at Celeste's tiny house first. "I'm so sorry, Mac."
I put my hand up to stop her from saying anything else. "I'll never regret being able to wake him up." Tears start to brim over the rims of my eyes. I take the ring off and hand it over to her. I have no idea why he didn't take the ring back once the doctor walked out. Maybe he was just laser-focused on getting to the deed.
"When he comes here, give him this and tell him...," my voice cracks as I try to suck a sob back from escape, "Tell him I hope he has a wonderful life."
The image of the redhead floats through my head and breaks my heart all over again. I allow Talia to lead me to her car so she can drive us to her apartment. They are cute little one-story studio style apartments with flower planters on the windows and fans on the front porches. Wonder if they have any openings since I'm going to have to look for a place to live. As soon as she lets us in, she's pulling me in for a hug.
"You want me to order us a pizza."
I shake my head. For the first time in our friendship, I can't think about eating anything. I just want to find a place to lay so I can pretend none of this happened for just a little while. "I...I just want to sleep, if that's alright."
"Of course that's alright, hun." She hands me a nightshirt from a dresser close to her bed. "I hate seeing you so sad."
"I feel...even more alone and by myself than I did when my mom died. It feels like a part of me that I never knew I needed isn't there anymore. And I need it to breathe."
"I never want to fall in love. It seems just awful."
"It feels like...I can't breathe now."
"It sounds just awful. We need alcohol more than food. Come on." She pulls me over to the island and plops me down on the stool. She takes out a bottle of rum and vodka and starts mixing up some stuff before handing me a drink that looks like the sun on a summer beach.
"I don't think...,"
"Perfect, this will keep you that way -not thinking- which is the only thing that will help you start healing."
By the time we're on our third glass, I've stopped crying and that pizza is sounding better and better. "Do you think you still have your cherry?"
My eyes widen and go to my best friend.
"I mean since he was a ghost when the two of you were fucking around."
I stop short of telling her that we never actually made it that far in our...relationship. "Doesn't matter -because I don't have my heart anymore." I swirl my drink with the straw, "I left that with him."
We sit and look at one another before Talia finally breaks the silence, "God that's cheesy as hell."
Finally, she pulls a laugh out of me and we both stumble off the stools to try to find the couch. Before we can sit down there's a knock at the door. Both of us look at the clock in the kitchen. It's close to ten at night. "Who the hell could that be?"
She walks cautiously over to the door and looks through the peephole. Then she's undoing the locks. She doesn't open the door all the way though which I find really odd. It causes me to move closer.
"Are you Talia Benson?"
"Yes. Can I help you?" The voice on the other side of the door seems deep and full of authority. I have to wonder if Sterling sent the police for me.