To avoid it and its effect on my entire system, I turned within Max’s arm and leaned against him again.

“Steve, when we get back, could use your help hangin’ the Cotton,” Max said to Steve and I closed my eyes.

Steve was always busy, always doing something, always had a project. He’d love helping Max hang the Cotton.

“Sure thing, Max,” Steve said amiably, I heard Mom sniff and looked at her but she had her head ducked.

Then she whispered, “Powder my nose.”

Then she rushed away as Max called gently, “Door to the right, under the loft.”

I sighed because I knew Mom was crying and I had a suspicion Mom had a lot more reasons to like Max now.

I looked at Steve and Steve was watching me. His eyes dropped to Max’s arm at my waist then they came back to my face. His smile was slow and so was his wink.

I smiled back even though panic gripped me.

If I was honest, I knew why I didn’t escape, even though I knew I was facing disaster.

Because I didn’t want to escape.

Now, Mom and Steve might disown me if I tried.

I sighed, leaned further into Max and his arm got tight.

I took a sip of coffee while the men stayed comfortably silent.

Then I asked, “Do you think we have time to sneak in some toast before she gets back?”

My timing was bad and Max’s excellent construction foiled me for Mom had opened the door and its noiseless hinges were my undoing.

“I heard that,” Mom snapped, rounding the counter.

“No,” Max answered my question and Steve laughed.

I sighed again and took another sip of coffee.

“Not to be rude or anything, Max,” Mom started when she hit the counter, “I adore the Cottons but I must say that piece of art you have out front is… um… how do I put it?” She paused then finished in a tone that belied her word, “interesting.”

My eyes went outside and I saw my vandalized rental car.

Then more than likely from stress, mild hysteria and just Mom being Mom, I burst out laughing.

***

Max’s phone rang after I walked out of Max’s bathroom, dressed, made up, hair done and ready to face the day.

Max and Steve left to talk to Dad after “breakfast” which tasted mostly of strawberries, thank God, but the rest of it didn’t bear thinking about. Mom said she’d clean the kitchen so I could get a shower. I left her to it and now was done and Max’s phone was ringing.

I had no idea what to do, whether Max would want me to answer and take a message or if maybe it was Max, calling me to tell me he was in jail because my father was a big jerk and pushed him to lose control and Mom and I had to come down and post bail for him and Steve.

As I was making up my mind, the answering machine, which was at the roll top but could be heard throughout the house, switched on. I heard Max’s voice order, “Leave a message,” there was a beep and Bitsy’s voice could be heard.

“Max? It’s Bitsy, listen, I was hoping you’d be home. You aren’t answering your cell. I wanted to talk to Nina, could you ask her to…”

I ran to Max’s nightstand and picked up the cordless, hitting the on button and I heard the noise of the answering machine beeping off.

“Bitsy?” I said into the phone.

“Oh, Nina. Hi.”

“Hi, sorry, I just got out of the shower.”

“That’s okay.” She was silent for a moment then she asked, “Is Max there?”

“No, do you want me to have him call you?”

“No, uh…” she paused then said, “really, I wanted to talk to you.”

I wasn’t sure how to react to this so I gave myself a second and walked to the railing. I looked out and saw Mom sitting outside on the front steps, her legs stretched out in front of her crossed at the ankles, her hands back behind her, body resting on her hands face tipped to the sun. It must be another warm day and the snow was fast disappearing.

Then I said, “Sure, Bitsy, what can I do for you?”

“It’s just that, uh… Harry came by. He told me about last night.”

“Oh.”

“And, uh, so did Brody. He told me about last night too.”

It must have been a busy morning for Bitsy.

“Oh. Yes, well, it was an interesting night,” I said to her.

“You should know, Shauna lied to Kami. Max never took Shauna ring shopping.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“He, well, I don’t know why he hooked up with her. She’s gorgeous, of course, and I don’t think she ever showed him her, you know, true face until, you know, they got together.”

“Bitsy,” I broke in softly, hearing her hesitation, knowing it had to be hard to talk about the woman who’d been sleeping with her husband in her bed when her husband was murdered, “you don’t have to talk about this.”

“I know,” she said softly back then she suddenly asked, “Your brother lost his legs in the army?”

This hit me hard and I sucked in breath. How she knew this, I didn’t know. Could be Max. Could be Mindy. Could be Mindy telling Brody who told Bitsy.

It didn’t matter, she knew so I said, “Yes, Bitsy, Charlie lost his legs.”

“Brody says Mindy says you looked after him.”

So it was Mindy-slash-Brody.

“Yes,” I answered.

“So, I think…” she paused then said on a rush, “you’d get me.”

“I’m sorry?”

She was quiet a moment then said softly, “No one gets me, Nina.”

I walked backwards to the bed, feeling my way with my feet and when I hit it, I plopped down.

“Bitsy, I don’t know,” I said honestly.

“I know what happened to Charlie, Nina,” Bitsy said gently. “So, I know you’d get me.”

I felt tears hit my eyes at what she was saying and I whispered, “Bitsy.”

“I had my moments, Nina, it’s terrible to admit but I understand Charlie.”

I swallowed and whispered, “Okay.”

“I’m sorry for you and for him.”

“Thanks.” I was still whispering.

“But my husband was fooling around on me,” she whispered back. “And I don’t blame him because, you know, the way I am. But I have to talk to someone about it. Someone who gets me.”

I heard the tears in her voice when she stopped talking so I said, “Oh, sweetheart.”

“And you also get what it’s like to have Shauna involved, seeing as she was after my man and she’s after yours too.”

“I’m not sure Max is my man.”

“Oh he is. Never seen him like that with anyone except Anna.”

I sucked in a silent breath and my body locked.

She kept speaking. “The whole town’s talkin’ about it. We’re all real glad. Thought Max’d never find anyone after Anna died. It’s been ten years, that’s a long time. Lord knows, I know that.”

I couldn’t think of her open talk about Anna, I had bigger things coming at me from her words.

It seemed now I was up against my own idiocy, my mother, Steve and the whole town of Gnaw Bone. My only ally was my father and right then Max and Steve were running him out of town.

I wasn’t in trouble, I was screwed.

“Bitsy –”

“Brody told me all you’ve done with Mindy and, I gotta say, I’m glad you’re nice. Anna was my best friend and I loved her. She’d want Max to end up with someone nice.”

Yes. Screwed.

“I don’t know what to say. Um… thank you.”

“Thank me for you bein’ nice?” she had a smile in her voice.

“Yes, I guess, and thank you for trusting me to talk to.”

She was quiet for long moments then she asked, “Do you think I’m crazy not to be mad at Curt?”

“I can’t say you’re crazy for anything you feel right now.”

“These past ten years, even though… you know.” She stopped and I didn’t know but I didn’t get the chance to ask before she went on, “I wasn’t much of a wife.”

I thought this was hideous if Curtis Dodd made Bitsy feel that way but I didn’t tell her that.

“Things are hard, when this happens, on everyone,” I told her.

“He loved me, people don’t get that. We had a good marriage, considering. We were… uh… you know….” she hesitated and then said, “active that way it’s just that it wasn’t the same as, you know… Shauna could do.” Then when I didn’t speak, she repeated, “You know?”

“Of course,” I said, thinking I kind of knew but mostly I didn’t and I said a little prayer of thanks for that.

“And he’s a man,” she went on defending her husband.

“Well, that explains a lot,” I told her and she gave a short laugh.

“Yeah.”

“Bitsy, darling,” I said, “you should feel free to feel how you want and don’t think of what people think.”

“No one liked him anyway, he died and his mistress phoned the police. It’s hard not to think of what people think since everyone’s thinkin’ somethin’.”

“Well, try. Anyone who truly cares about you will let you have your feelings, whatever they may be.”

She was silent a moment, letting this sink in then she said, “Yeah.”

“Do you want me to come and visit with you? My Mom’s here and she loves coffee. She’d really like one of your lattes. She’s also a really good listener.”

“Your Mom’s here?”

“Well my Dad came and he was being, well, my Dad, which means he was being a jerk to me and to Max. I told my Mom and Mom, being a Mom and in particular, my Mom, who’s a little nutty, decided to bring her husband and have him help Max take care of Dad. So she’s here, my stepdad Steve’s here and Max and Steve are in town probably threatening Dad and maybe earning themselves a lawsuit.”

“Good thing you’re a lawyer,” she said, again sounding like she was smiling.

Well, there it was again, news travelled fast.

“Hey, speaking of that, would you help me draw up my will?” she asked. “George is covered in work but he’s reading Curtis’s tomorrow and he said I should have one drawn up straight away after Curt’s is read. He wants to do it for me but says it may take awhile because he has some big case pending so he referred me to a guy next town over but I know him and he’s a weasel. I’d rather you help me do it.”

“Bitsy –”

“I’ll pay you.”

“It isn’t that.”

“What is it?”

“Um…” I tried to think of what it was then when I couldn’t I said, “nothing. Sure, I’ll be glad to help.”

“It’ll be easy. Just wanna make sure Shauna never gets her hands on any of it.”

“Bitsy –”

Bitsy’s voice got low and I realized Brody really shared when she said, “The kid’s Curt’s, I’ll put some money aside for him to get when he comes of age. ‘Til then she can blow.”

And there it was. Bitsy was a good woman, through and through. She was also a woman scorned.

“Okay, darling, we’ll tie it up tight,” I assured her.

“I want a DNA test, though.”

“Okay.”

“Maybe three, who knows who she’d fuck to get the test results back that she wants. We may need to go out of state.”

It was my turn to talk through a smile. “Might be a good idea.”

“Maybe you know someone in England, she’s never been to England, would better our chances, seein’ she’s been outta state.”

I laughed and heard Bitsy laugh too.

I also heard the front door open and Mom call, “Neenee Bean, let’s go hiking!”

“Be down in a sec!” I called back.

“That your Mom?” Bitsy said in my ear.

“Yes.”

“You can come over, bring her too, anytime you want. Just give me a call, ‘kay?”

“Okay.”

There was a hesitation then, “Thanks, Nina.”

“Bitsy?”

“Yeah.”

“You just give me a call too, anytime. Here at Max’s or I’ll give you my cell, but it’s an international number so –”

“Honey, I’m loaded, haven’t you heard?” I laughed again and she said, “I got a pen and paper right here, sock it to me.”

I gave her my number, she read it back and then I offered, “Anytime, Bitsy, okay?”

“Thanks Nina.”

“No, Bitsy,” I said softly, the tears hitting my eyes just as I fought them back. “You don’t know how many times I tried to get Charlie to open up to me. So thank you again for trusting me.”

“Oh honey,” she laughed in my ear, “my pleasure. I’ll lay all my troubles on you, you like it so much.”

I laughed back which helped the tears subside and said, “Take care.”

“Yeah, you too. Hope to see you soon.”

“Bye.”

“Later, honey.”

“Who was that?” Mom asked and I looked to see her standing at the top of the stairs.

“A friend of Max’s,” I told her, hitting the off button and vaguely hearing the answering machine beep again. “Sounded like a friend of yours.”