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Graham shut me in the passenger’s seat and went around to the driver’s side, choking the steering wheel before putting the car into gear. “I can drive, Graham. You’re upset.”
“Of course I’m upset! Those are your friends? Truly?”
“That’s the crew. They’re actually Ollie’s friends. I come with the package.”
He eyed Katrina’s red face, her fist in the air, her sneer in full swing, and he revved the engine. “I could give her just a little tap. It wouldn’t hurt her much.”
“Now, now. Let’s save vehicular manslaughter for Monday. That’s a much better weekday activity.”
“You’re no fun.”
“So I’ve been told.”
Graham backed the car out with care. “Fancy lunch?”
“Not really. But thanks for getting me out of there. I thought I was ready to face the damage, but I just plain wasn’t. Mind if we go to the hospital instead? I want to check in on Allie. See if I can’t figure out how to wake her up.”
“Of course.”
I kept my voice quiet. “Thanks for that back there, by the way. Sticking up for me like that. Katrina doesn’t normally dig her claws into me. It’s the whole Von thing. I usually let the little stuff go, but lately everything feels like too much. Too big, too hard, too unnerving. I think I froze. Maybe I’m turning into a wuss or something.”
Graham reached over and held my hand. “I meant every word, you know. You and Mariang are my sisters. I’ll not stand back and watch someone walk all over you.”
“You’re a good guy, Graham. Thanks for being my brother.”
We drove a few minutes in silence before Graham squeezed my hand. “We’re going to see your sister, but I’m afraid I know nothing about her. Fancy telling me a little so I’m not so lost?”
“Sure. Allie’s great. She can make a game out of anything. She sews. Did you know that?”
“I know shockingly little about your family. Just the briefing Ezra gave us on Bev’s passing.”
I felt him give me an extra pull at the mention of Bev. Graham and I had a good rhythm. “We were poor. Nothing like the life Mariang and Ezra have. When I needed clothes, Allie would go to the secondhand store and buy stained oversized men’s shirts for pennies. Then she’d somehow transform them into little dresses for me to wear. When we moved out, she learned how to knit. That year we had so many hats and scarves and mittens, we didn’t know what to do with them all. Ollie was sweet. He insisted on wearing all his hats to make Allie feel better when she was having a rough day. He went to work one day with seven knit caps on, five pairs of mittens and eight scarves. Then he came home and complained that he needed her to make him a few more.” I smiled at the memory.
Graham chuckled. “That’s sweet. Is she funny, like you?”
I blinked at Graham. Cracking jokes felt like a me I didn’t recognize anymore. “She’s funny, sure. She’s kind and selfless. Not many teenage girls would give up their Friday nights to work so we could get ahead. We bought that house, the three of us. We own it outright. When she left for California and Ollie for New York, I promised them I’d take care of our home. It was our safe place.” My chin quivered again, but this time I didn’t feel ashamed as the tears started to cloud my vision. I knew Graham wouldn’t take my pride; he’d given me back my dignity. “I let our safe place get broken. My daughter died in my safe place!” Out of nowhere, a horrible unintelligible sob birthed from my mouth, announcing my agony to the car. I covered my mouth quickly, as if I could shove the sound back down my throat. “I’m sorry.” I straightened, blinking away the madness that clawed at my insides. “I told myself I’d be normal today. Spontaneous crying? Not normal. Can you pick a new topic?”
“That’s a beautiful ring,” Graham offered after a few beats of respectful silence while he waited for me to collect myself. “The only reason Katrina said it was fake was because no man will ever give her a ring like that.”
I glanced down at my hand, grateful that after everything, Von hadn’t wanted it back. All along he’d wanted me. Just me.
As if on cue, Graham’s phone rang. “Yeah?”
I heard Von shout, “Where is she? Is she with you?”
“Whoa! Hold on, mate. October’s fine. She’s right here.” Graham put the phone on speaker so I could talk.
“Hey, hun. How are you feeling?” I asked, trying to keep my voice conversational.
“How am I feeling? Bloody wonderful! I look up, and you’re gone! Where are you?”
I made sure to keep calm, so as not to coax Von to fly further off the handle. “I’m on my way to the hospital to see Allie. I told you all this, and I even left you a note on the nightstand. Do you see it?”
I heard rustling and a loud exhale. “Oh. I guess Ezra wasn’t lying, then.”
“Why would Ezra lie to you? Ezra loves you.”
“Come home. I don’t like it here without you.”
My heart broke for him, but I knew this was the right thing to do. I needed to stand on my own, and Von did, too. Only then could we stand together when life inevitably tipped us on our heads again and again. “I told you I’d be home for dinner, so that’s when you’ll see me. Maybe you should go for a walk. Take Alton and move around a little. Get something to eat.”
“I can’t stop picturing your body in a ditch somewhere. I can’t lose you, Peach. I need you to be safe. Come home.”
“Of course I’ll come home. And I’m with Graham, who’s an excellent driver. Do you want me to pick you up anything while I’m out?”
“No. Just come back here in one piece. That’s all I want. I’ll go back to bed. Wake me when you get back.”
I fished for something that would get him out of the bedroom, casting around for any distraction at all from his grief. “Could you do me a favor?” I asked, forcing a smile into my voice that did not appear on my face.
“Anything. What do you need, love?”
“Socks.”
“You need me to bring you socks?”
I waved off Graham’s inquiring eyebrow. “No, but would you mind making a run to the store for me? I have the regular kind, but my feet keep getting cold at night. Could you pick me up a pair of those really thick fuzzy ones that Mariang wears to sleep? Those look warm.”
“Um, sure. You want me to go to the store?”
I nodded. “And pick up warm socks for me to wear at night.”
“Okay. I’ll put it on the list and have Lynna pick some up when she goes to the grocer’s on Wednesday.”
I feigned a dramatic sigh. “I was kind of hoping you’d pick them out for me. Something you think is cute. And something for tonight. I don’t want cold feet for another half a week.” I knew I was pushing the border of being high maintenance, but I couldn’t stand the thought of Von lying in bed all day, or staring out the window vacantly again for hours on end. “If you don’t mind.”
Von paused. “I don’t think you understand men if you think we fancy which kind of fuzzy socks our wife wears. If you’re asking me, I prefer you in nothing at all.”
I tried to ignore Graham’s dramatic barfing. I closed my eyes, pushing harder, knowing this was all for Von’s own good. “Please? If it’s not too much trouble, I’d really appreciate it.”
Von waited a few beats, and I could picture him nodding. “Okay. Sure.” His tone changed, and I could tell he was exasperated with himself. “Hey, of course I’ll pick you up some socks. No problem. Good for you for finally asking for something. Anything else?”
I fished around for anything I might possibly need, grateful for the glimmer of Von I heard crackling over the phone as Graham drove along the tree-lined freeway. “Maybe some hand lotion? My skin sucks lately.”
Von sounded wary. “Okay. Be specific. What kind exactly?”
I softened and explained the brand I preferred. We hung up after a heaping helping of “you’re the greatest guy in the world for helping me out,” and “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Graham grinned at me. “I see what you did there. You tricked Von into getting out of bed. Well done.” He high-fived me. “Before you know it, he’ll be back to his old self.”
“You really think it’s as simple as lotion and fuzzy socks?”
Graham squeezed my hand as he drove us closer to the hospital. “I think it’s as simple as you.”