Chapter 38
38
I f you want unbiased advice, you go to Mia.
I swear, the girl should charge for her services.
We’re sitting at her house in the sunroom. She lives on her parents’ property, secluded from most of Blue Beech for privacy, so the view, almost forest-like, is breathtaking.
A lemon candle is lit. I’ve never been inside her home when it doesn’t smell like something lemon-related.
“Your situation is tricky, babes.” She sits on the sectional across from me. “Adrian hiding the Earl thing was shitty. He should’ve gone straight to you the moment he read the case, but I see where he was put in a rough spot.” She raises a finger. “I’m in no way saying that’s an excuse. If you think he’s worthy of a possible second chance, hear him out and make it clear no more secrets , period .” She relaxes against the cushions. “If you didn’t look the happiest I’ve seen you in years, I’d suggest you tell him to go fuck himself. But, Essie, the times I’ve seen you two together, a smile I haven’t seen since before the accident graced your face. I missed seeing that.”
I can’t help but smile.
Is this the smile she’s talking about ?
“It’s kind of that smile, but brighter,” she says, as if reading my mind.
“Wait,” I say before gasping dramatically. “Does this mean Mia secretly likes love?”
She’s usually the most anti-love person I know.
It’s wild because her mom, Stella, has starred in countless romance movies. Mia has attended movie premieres since she was young. A lot of people thought she’d follow in her mom’s footsteps into entertainment, but she likes to stay far away from the spotlight.
Not that I blame her. I’ve heard the stories of stalkers, paparazzi, and the invasion of privacy Stella has had to deal with. Mia also has the fear that people only want to be around her because of her mother’s stardom. She learned that the hard way when her first boyfriend accidentally texted her instead of a friend, pretty much saying those exact words.
Mia scrunches her nose, as if in disgust. “I hate love for myself , but it’d be selfish of me to deter others from it. On the few occasions I’ve found myself growing feelings for someone, I block their number and buy a new bag for myself instead.” She gestures toward the black leather Prada bag on the chair. “They don’t break hearts.”
I nod in agreement. “Retail therapy can be as satisfying as a male-given orgasm at times.”
Not that I know too much about that topic. My experience is limited to two guys.
“My best advice?” she goes on. “Read the email.”
I bite my lower lip, thinking. “Do you want to read it to me?”
She climbs across the couch, snatches her MacBook, and places it on my lap. “Log in.”
I open the MacBook and sign in to my email.
Adrian’s email sits in my inbox with the subject: Please read, Essie. I beg you .
I exhale a deep breath and mutter, “Here goes,” while opening the message before handing it to Mia.
She holds the MacBook in her lap as I watch her read the email. “It looks”—she pauses, continuing to read—“like a bunch of legal jargon regarding Earl’s case.”
Scooting back, she makes herself comfortable. She balances the MacBook on her lap as she reads the email. Minutes pass, and she doesn’t say a word.
It’s like she’s lost in whatever this legal jargon says.
“Essie,” she whispers, looking up at me through thick lashes, “I think you need to read this yourself. I never thought I’d say this, but Adrian might be right. Maybe they should open his case back up.”
I sigh, my shoulders slumping. “I need a minute before I do that.”
She shuts the MacBook. “I understand.” She rests her hand over mine. “But read it, Essie. You’re one of the smartest and strongest people I know. You’re a great attorney, and you know this stuff better than anyone. Read it yourself and form your opinion.”
“I need a break from talking about myself.”
She grabs the remote and turns on the TV. “Fine with me. What’s your show of choice?”
I snatch the remote and turn the TV off. “Nope, it’s your turn.”
“My turn to what? Pick a show?”
“Your turn to talk about your love life.”
“We’ve already established my love life is as existent as a vampire’s love for garlic.”
“That is a terrible analogy,” I say, laughing.
“Hey, no one said I was the jokester of the group.”
No way am I letting her attempt to joke her way out of this.
I’m not only asking for my curiosity, but I’m almost positive Mia hasn’t talked about this with anyone. Holding in your secrets, your hurt, alone, only makes the pain harder .
“What happened with you and Trey?” I ask.
“All right, time for you to go home.”
She attempts to stand, but I grab her arm and pull her back onto the couch.
“Nice try,” I say, scooting closer to pretend to hold her in place. “Spill it.”
“There’s nothing to spill.” She gives me a stern look. “Trey and I have never gotten along. Everyone knows that.”
“And why haven’t you ever gotten along?”
“He’s always thought of me as a spoiled brat and a bad influence on Callie.”
I squint at her. “Really?”
“Yes, really. And considering he’s an asshole, I’ve stopped trying to correct him.”
I’ve always seen Mia as the opposite of a bad influence. As much as I love Callie, she can be naive. Her parents hid the darkness of the world away from her too much. Even my parents have said that.
Since they were kids, Mia has always looked out for Callie and kept her away from trouble.
Trey is dumb as shit if he thinks Mia is a bad influence.
That’s just the excuse he’s giving her.
But the excuse for what ?
Yes, Mia grew up rich and spoiled.
And, yes, she’s a little standoffish, but she’d kill someone for Callie. No joke.
“It’s obvious something happened with you two,” I go on.
“All right,” she says with a groan. “I’m officially kicking you out of my home.”
I repeat the same motion of when she tried to stand earlier. “Just answer one question. That’s it.”
She falls down and gives me her best dirty look.
“Does Callie know?”
“There’s nothing to know.”
“That means the answer is no. ”
“Again, because there’s nothing to know.”
“I’m letting you get away with that answer for now because when this gets out—and it will if Trey moves back—I can say I knew nothing about it.”
A slight hint of a smile crosses her lips. “Good logic. New subject. What do you want for Christmas?”
“For Trey to move home so all of us get to find out your secrets.”
She picks up a pillow and whacks my shoulder. “If he moves here, I’m moving away.”
“If you ever try to move away from here again, I’m dragging you back myself,” I say, referencing when she moved to New York for a while. “What did we say when we were kids? We’re never leaving Blue Beech .”
“I think you’re forgetting the part where I objected to that every single time,” she fires back.
Before I can argue, my phone beeps with a text.
Adrian: Did you read the email?
“He’s asking if I’ve read the email,” I say, holding up my phone to show Mia the text.
Her face softens as she hands the MacBook back to me.
I lower my phone to the couch, take a deep breath, and read the PEP’s argument for why they believe Earl might be innocent.