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“So did we,” Eliana adds, her tone soft now, almost mothering. “What you did wasn’t wrong, Aunt Lindy.” “It wasn’t right, though,” our aunt says.
Jim was a lot like his son. Didn’t like women very much. Can’t say I’m surprised Guy turned out the way he did.”
“Yeah,” I tell my aunt, “and his death was ruled a hiking accident. From what I’ve read, there won’t be an investigation.”
good. I mean, it was self-defense. We didn’t have anything to worry about.”
“You three have been through enough. Especially Remi.”
“Because of what Guy did.” “I didn’t . . . I didn’t tell you that,” I say,
“You sure did,” Aunt Lindy says,
“Oh, girls, I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this.”
“I saw what happened, Remi,” she says, her hazel eyes meeting mine, and there’s no guilt in her expression. Just sorrow. “I lied. I was out having a smoke when I heard a commotion, and I followed the noise, saw Guy
“I’ve never been good in the moment, girls. I freeze up.
when I saw Guy forcing himself on you, ...
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I couldn’t let that man hurt you ag...
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oh, girls, he was muttering all kinds of awful things about you three. And I knew he was going to come back, wasn’t going to let this go. So, I grabbed a log, snuck up behind him, and whacked him in the head.”
“I’m not sorry,” Aunt Lindy interrupts, her cheeks flushed. “Girls, I’m not proud of what I did, but I had to protect you three.
men like that don’t change. If he assaulted you, Remi, he was going to do it to another woman. And another. If you’d called the cops, he’d get a slap on the wrist.”
we should’ve done something about the Morans years ago; the whole lot of them were rotten.”
No police. Not with a past like mine.”
pleasantly surprised that the thought of not only seeing my sister again but moving to the same city as her doesn’t fill me with deep, existential dread. “Thanks, Eli.”
Too much time around my optimistic family has rubbed off on me because this weekend wasn’t all bad.
If anything, this weekend has changed my view of Maeve for the better.
I’m starting over in Seattle, close enough to my oldest sister to have weekly dinners and spend time with my niece and nephew.
How far Eliana might go with the proper motivation and a shovel is a mystery I’ll die happy never solving.
Melanie Figueroa, my agent.
Root Literary
absolute best agency;
my developmental editor, Selina McLemore,
I can’t wait to kill off another character with you.
Thank you to my therapist, Laura, who helps me wrangle my OCD on a weekly basis. And all the thank-yous to Prozac; I almost dedicated this book to you.
Thank you to my two big sisters, in particular, for internalizing the disclaimer in the front of the book.
love laughing, gaming, and wandering the rain-wet sidewalks of Seattle with you.
A Northern California transplant, Coombs lives in Seattle, Washington, with her spouse and their Siberian cat.
