No, not Catherine Costello.
Not Trinity or Mom, either.
The one who’d claimed I tried to kill her—Gabriella Holland.
Gabriella Holland.
What was she doing here?
Without a gun, no less.
I didn’t peg her for the kind of girl who could pull off a murder without a firearm. She just didn’t have it in her.
Still, I found myself striding at an even pace all the way to my porch, flinging my bag across my shoulder and tossing my keychain around my finger. The picture of nonchalance.
“Nessy.” Gabriella twisted her fingers together in her lap. “Can I come in for a sec?”
She looked a little shell-shocked, her curls not quite so puffy and perfect, and she wasn’t wearing any makeup.
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” I stuck my key into the lock, twisting it in place. “You might claim I tried to kill you again, and I heard lawyers are expensive.”
“I think the state provides you with a lawyer if you can’t afford one,” she said kindly. “Anyway, I promise you want to hear what I have to say.”
She fell into step with me.
I pushed the door open and walked in, and she invited herself inside. I clutched my phone close to my chest like a lifeline. I didn’t trust this woman, who’d always been vile to me, but especially so since Cruz had entered the picture.
“Can I offer you anything? Water, coffee, tranquilizer, peanuts?” I made my way to the kitchen, and she followed suit.
Maybe it was too soon to make that joke, but I had zero guilt in me. I knew what I did and didn’t do.
And I hadn’t put peanuts in her sundae.
Gabriella giggled behind me. “Water’s fine. I’ll pass on the peanuts.”
“Shocker.” I opened my fridge, pulling out two bottles of water, still securely capped. If this was a ploy to throw me in the can again, she had another thing coming. I handed her one of the bottles. “How’re you feeling, anyway?”
“That’s nice of you to ask.”
She unscrewed the cap and took a sip. We were both still standing up. It was surreal, to have her in my house. A few months ago, I would have felt self-conscious about how small and cozy this place was.
Now, however, I couldn’t find it in me to care.
If there was something I’d found out recently, it was that a person’s wealth was not measured in money or belongings. Rather, it was nestled at the bottom of their soul. It was their wishes, their hopes, their character, and their ability to lift others instead of dragging them down.
“I’m feeling much better. I guess the amount of peanuts I consumed was very small, which helped. And the EpiPen definitely made a difference. By the time I got to the hospital, all they had to do was give me a shot of cortisone straight to my butt cheek and put me on some oxygen for a few hours while they monitored my condition. It was pretty straightforward.”
“I’m glad.”
“Nessy, there is something I want to tell you. To be frank, I’m not even sure why I’m telling you this. I just think you should know.”
“Okay.”
I leaned against the counter. The exact same spot where Cruz cornered me not too long ago and gave me a scorching kiss seconds before Bear walked in.
Lord, I was a world-class clown for managing to lose this man.
“I went to see Cruz yesterday—”