CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO - LIZ
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
LIZ
The photographs from Sunset Park were displayed on Liz’s computer monitor. Everyone in Trove Isle had probably seen a sunset over the park, but these photographs—hopefully—captured the magic of it. Because it was magical, especially when spent with Matt Coffey.
Last night’s drive had started rocky, but had turned out to be okay. She’d driven ten miles below the speed limit all the way to Sunset Park, but Matt hadn’t said a word—not even when the car behind her had honked and passed them. Liz had taken deep breaths, kept her hands on the wheel, and she’d gotten them to their destination without incident. Matt had done the honors of driving them back to her house afterward because it was late and Liz wasn’t ready to drive in complete darkness.
He was gentle and thoughtful, understanding, and handsome. In a word—perfect.
A knock on her office door got her attention. “Yeah?”
“When are you coming out?” Rose asked.
Liz would have guessed that Rose would want Liz to stay in her workroom indefinitely. They’d grown closer lately though. They’d come to an understanding that Liz still didn’t quite understand. It was nice. Her mom was right, this summer was good for them. “When I’m finished,” Liz responded, realizing she sounded a bit sarcastic. If there was a single sarcastic bone in her body, it was Rose’s influence this summer. On a sigh, she turned and opened the door. “Now. I’m coming out now. Is there something you need?”
Rose furrowed her brow. “No. I was just, well, you’re always trying to get me to have dinner with you so . . .”
Liz checked the time on her cell phone. “Oh. I didn’t realize it was so late. Are you hungry?”
“A little.” Rose lifted a shoulder. “I can help. If you need me to. And, um, well, Josh is here.”
The preppy guy?“He is? Why?” Liz asked.
Rose looked taken back. “Because he’s my boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend?” This was news to Liz. “Since when?”
Rose shrugged a shoulder. “I wouldn’t expect you to know this, because you’re kind of oblivious to the dating world, but people don’t actually ask you to be boyfriend or girlfriend anymore. It’s not like I can tell you the exact moment it was official. We like each other. We don’t want to hang out with anyone else. At least not romantically. That makes him my boyfriend.”
“Makes sense,” Liz said, overlooking the slight dig at her own personal life.
“So, Josh is here. And . . .” Rose nibbled on her lower lip, “he’s hungry too.”
Liz wanted to laugh. “Are you asking me to cook dinner for you two?”
“Not just for us. For you too,” Rose said. “I kind of thought it’d be nice if we all got to know each other.”
“Oh.” It would have been nice if Rose would have given her a heads up. Liz wasn’t even sure she had anything to cook. “Well, let me check the fridge and see what I can whip up.”
“You’re okay with this?” Rose asked as an afterthought. It was still nice that she asked at all. “You’re not going to start breathing real weird or anything, are you?”
“I wasn’t planning to. But I can if you want me to embarrass you in front of your guy friend.” Liz grinned, loving this new, more playful version of herself that was surfacing now that her anxiety was taking a back seat. It was still there, but it wasn’t driving her life.
“No. That’s okay.” Rose smiled back at her.
“So where is Josh?” Liz asked.
“In the living room. Watching TV with Matt.”
So much for keeping her anxiety in the back seat. “Matt? He’s here?”
Rose furrowed her brow. “I thought you knew he was stopping by. He said he had a free night and wanted to see if you were up for another driving lesson.”
That was sweet. He was always thinking of her. “Where is he now?” Liz asked, suddenly worried that she looked like a complete and utter mess.
“He’s sitting on the couch. I told him you were in the bathroom and you’d be out to see him in a minute.” Rose grimaced.
Liz’s breathing grew shallow. “You told him I was in the bathroom? For how long?”
“Like fifteen minutes now, I guess. I left him there a while ago. Sorry.”
It was too late for apologies. “Well if your boyfriend is staying for dinner, looks like I’ll have a chance to embarrass you too.”
Rose held up both hands. “I’ll go tell Matt I was mistaken. And invite him to dinner.” Her lips curled in a barely smile. “It can be like a double date.”
Liz shook her head. “Matt and I are just friends,” she said reflexively, but even she wasn’t buying that line anymore. She had feelings for him. Feelings that were getting harder and harder to ignore.
“Great.” Rose turned back and started walking before Liz could protest any more. “I’ll tell your friend that he’s welcome to stay for dinner with us.”
* * *
Half an hour later, Liz placed a lasagna at the center of her table. She’d already had one prepared in the freezer and had only needed to pop it in the oven. She sat down nervously beside Matt.
“For someone who said she had nothing to cook, you sure know how to pull together something delicious,” he commented.
“You haven’t even tried it yet.” Liz cut him a slice and placed it on his plate.
“If it tastes as good as it smells, it’s the best I’ve ever had,” Matt said.
“No wonder you’re still in the friend zone. You’re trying to win my sister over by lying to her,” Rose said, sarcastically.
Matt didn’t even blink. “I’m not lying. I’m building her up whenever and wherever possible. The world does a decent enough job of tearing people down. Any guy worth his salt will guard against that.”
Liz noticed that he didn’t argue that he wasn’t trying to win her over. She placed a square of lasagna on Rose and Josh’s plates too. Then she placed some on her own plate and sat down. “Well, let’s taste and see.” She picked up her fork but waited for someone else to take the first bite.
“Mm. Delicious,” Josh said, sharing a glance with Matt.
Matt grinned. “There you go.” He looked at Rose. “You might have yourself a keeper there.”
“She’s only sixteen,” Liz objected. “She’s not allowed to have a keeper yet.”
Rose tasted the lasagna. “He’s right. This is pretty decent.”
“You’re my sister. You don’t have to worry about losing or keeping me,” Liz said.
“No, but I do want to build you up. And besides, it’s true. It’s better than Mom’s if you ask me. But don’t tell her I said so.”
Liz took a bite now and nodded. “Mm. Actually, you’re right. It is better than Mom’s,” she said—because there was nothing wrong with building herself up either.
* * *
The next day, Liz was trembling from head to toe. She’d shaken the entire drive from Trove Isle to the women’s prison. Pulling into an empty parking spot, she put the gear into PARK. Then she turned the key in the ignition and turned the car off, finally releasing a breath. “I did it!”
Melody laughed beside her. “Yes, you did.” She blew out a breath too, gaining Liz’s attention.
“You were nervous too?” she asked.
Melody grimaced and held her fingers an inch apart. “Just a tiny bit. You’re a new driver and we weren’t on backroads anymore. That was a tough drive. I’m proud of you.”
Liz shook out her hands. “I’m proud of me too.” She handed the keys over to Melody. “But you’re driving us on the way back home. That’s enough for me for one day.”
Melody dropped the keys in her purse. “And enough for me too.” She pushed her car door open and stepped out. “Let’s go see Bri.”
Liz pushed the driver’s side door open and stepped out as well, meeting Melody around the hood. Then they headed toward the expansive building in front of them. Liz had the bracelet on today. Melody had slipped it on her wrist before they’d set off.
“For luck,” she’d said.
It had given Liz a certain confidence during the drive over. She’d found herself glancing at it every time she felt her nerves getting the best of her. Then she’d taken a breath and continued forward.
“I can’t wait to tell Bri that I’m the one who drove us here.” Liz picked up her pace, matching Melody’s. They were both eager to see their friend. And soon they wouldn’t have to drive an hour just to visit with her. Soon Bri would be free and home where she belonged.
After checking in at the front and being led to an open area outside, the two of them sat down at a picnic table and waited for Bri to appear.
Liz rested her arms in front of her, letting the sun’s rays bounce off the charm bracelet.
Melody elbowed Liz. “Here she comes.”
Liz straightened and looked up, watching Bri draw closer. As she approached, Liz noticed the dark bruise around Bri’s left eye. “What happened?”
Bri’s smile was slow in coming. “It’s nothing.”
“It doesn’t look like nothing to me.” Melody leaned in closer to get a better look at Bri. “Did you get in a fight or something?”
“Or something.” Bri took a seat in front of them. She blew out a breath. “Another inmate has a problem with me. Now that I’m on the short rows. Sometimes folks around here get jealous and start picking fights.” Bri gestured at her face.
“Oh, no. I’d hoped people would be happy for you,” Liz said.
“Most are.” Bri shrugged. “Anyway, I’m just hoping this doesn’t push my release date back.”
“What? Are you serious?” Melody’s voice rose a notch. “It wasn’t your fault. You didn’t start the fight.”
“No, but it’s my word against hers. I’m lucky I even got to visit with you two today.”
“That’s not fair,” Liz said.
This made Bri smile. “In case you haven’t learned that lesson yet, life isn’t always fair.”
Liz lowered her gaze and looked at her bracelet. “Well, I’m confident you’re still getting out when you’re supposed to. Our luck is turning up.” She looked at Bri. “In fact, I just drove here, and I didn’t stop to vomit or breathe into a paper bag a single time.”
Bri’s lips parted. “Are you messing with me?”
“Nope. She’s telling the truth,” Melody said. “And . . .”
“There’s more?” Bri looked between them. “What else?”
Liz rolled her lips together. “And I’m chaperoning the prom with Melody, Christopher, and Matt.”
Bri pulled her head back, her eyes subtly rounding. “You’re going to prom? And you have a date with Matt?”
Liz shook her head. “No. We’re just going as friends. It’s not like that.” Even though some part of Liz wanted it to be—a small, suppressed part.
Bri had a huge smile on her face. “Same as Melody and Christopher. Well, this is great news. I wish I was going to be out in time to see that.”
“Me too.” Liz reached across the picnic table and squeezed Bri’s hand. “Next year.”
“You’re already planning to go again next year? This is a pretty big deal.” Bri looked around the prison courtyard and withdrew her hand. Liz knew it was because physical contact was discouraged. So many things had been stripped away from Bri. It wasn’t fair. Maybe Bri was right that life wasn’t always fair, but sometimes it was. It could be. That was a lesson that they all needed a refresher course in.
When it was time to leave, Liz stood up. “Less than a month. Hang in there.”
Bri nodded. “I can get a lot of black eyes in a month’s time. No backing out, okay?”
Liz knew she was talking about prom. “Okay.”
“I’ll make sure she doesn’t,” Melody said.
Bri gave Melody a long look. “Thanks.”
Liz and Melody were quiet as they left the prison. Melody took the driver’s seat this time.
“It’s hard to leave her here,” Melody said, her shoulders rounding toward the steering wheel.
“It always is.” Liz watched Melody start the car and reverse out of the parking lot. Then they drove home.
“So,” Melody said after several non-starter conversations, “you’re wearing the bracelet. What are you doing that scares you and makes you feel alive?”
“Driving to the prison today doesn’t count?” Liz asked. “Because that was pretty terrifying.”
“Only in your head,” Melody said. “You actually didn’t seem all that scared. You were calm. You were ready.”
Liz turned to watch the world buzz by through her passenger side window. Melody was right. Facing her fears was scary, but worth it. Her fingers felt along the bracelet as she considered Mel’s question. Finally, she looked back at Melody. “I’m driving. I’m going to prom. I’m planning to tell my mom I don’t want to work indefinitely at The Bitery. I’m going to pursue my own photography business. Everything is changing. Can I just earn my next charm by living?”
Melody glanced over. “That is the point of the charm bracelet. To prove we’re alive. Not just zombies.”
Liz laughed quietly. “Alyssa had a way with words, didn’t she?”
“She did. I think she’d be happy for you. You’re taking a lot of huge steps here lately.”
Liz’s fingers found the muffin charm, her skin trailing the textured frosting. “I’m not sure what scares me more. Going to prom or talking to my mom about The Bitery.”
“Well, the bracelet stays on your wrist for both.”
“Are you sure?” Liz was hoping to wear it longer, but she didn’t want to monopolize it.
“I’m positive. You need it more than I do. And I just promised Bri that I wouldn’t let you back down. I don’t want to go back on that commitment. I won’t.” Melody shook her head.
Liz reached over and squeezed Melody’s arm.
“Can we stop by Hidden Treasures on the way home?” Melody asked. “I just need to take the donations inside. It looks like it might rain.”
“Sure. I’ll help. I don’t have anywhere to be. Rose has taken to bringing her boyfriend back to my house so I don’t mind delaying being a third wheel.”
Melody cringed. “I guess that means she feels comfortable at your place.”
“Yeah. She’s not hiding in the guestroom or leaving every chance she gets anymore. We’ve made progress. It’s nice. And I actually like the guy. I think he’s good for her.”
“You trust him to be alone with your sister?” Melody asked.
Liz thought for a moment. “Not really, but Matt gave him his seal of approval. And I don’t need to trust him. I trust Rose.” Which was progress. Liz and Rose had come a long way in their relationship this summer.
Melody stopped at a red light and looked over at Liz. “If you’re wondering, I give Matt my seal of approval for you.”
Liz suppressed a sigh. She was tired of protesting that she and Matt were anything more than neighbors and friends. Thunder clapped overhead and Liz noted the way Melody stiffened. She pressed the gas and the car’s speed picked up. Liz grabbed the handle on the passenger door, squeezing gently and reminding herself that she was safe. What were the odds of getting in two car accidents with her best friend in this lifetime?
“You okay?” Melody asked. “Do I need to slow down? I just don’t want any donations to get ruined. I’m still going below the speed limit.”
Liz inhaled deeply. “I’m fine. It’s okay.” She exhaled and noticed the slight sprinkle that began to hit the front windshield. “You can even go a little faster if you need to. I think as long as you’re less than five miles per hour above the speed limit, you’re safe.”
“Five above the speed limit?” Melody grinned. “Who are you and what have you done with Liz Dawson?”
To: Liz Dawson
From: Bri Johnson
Subject: Score one for the home team!
Liz,
Good news! The fight that won me this black eye isn’t going to add any prison time to my sentence. I didn’t start the fight and I didn’t even fight back. Witnesses backed me up on that. I was a bit surprised because Tilly, the one who gave me the shiner, has a way of getting people to say and do what she wants. Not this time.
Anyway, I just wanted you to know. The countdown is still on!
B