“Quit buttering me up.” Her snort blasted across the line. “What’s going on?”
Here comes the hard part.
“The police have asked me to consult on another case.” I let her absorb that. “I said yes.”
The uptick in her breath left me imagining her panicked heart, which made me…hungry.
Gritting my teeth, I focused on Camber and pushed down that dark yearning. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Good. Fine.” She gulped a few more quick breaths. “I just…lost it…for a second…there.”
Panic attacks were new, or else she hadn’t told me she was having them, and it twisted my gut.
“Breathe,” I soothed her. “In and out.” I listened until her inhales and exhales eased off. “Good girl.”
“Can you give the details to Arden?” Her breath hitched. “I’m not…” She hesitated. “I’m not ready yet.”
If the mention of the police or casework hit her this hard, her condition was worse than she had let on.
As underhanded as it felt, I made the choice to up her tea dosage to calm her mind and help her cope.
“I understand.” And I hated myself for scarring the girls and then asking them to bear more.
“Know I support you.” Her voice went raspy. “I would do the same in your shoes.”
I was handed off to Arden before I could say another word.
“Rue?” Worry spiked her tone. “What’s wrong?”
“The police have asked me to help them with another case.”
“Oh,” she replied softly. “You said yes.”
“I did.”
“Good.” Conviction rang through her. “No one should have to go through what we did. What you did. If I could help the police like you do, I would volunteer, but since I can’t, I’ll do whatever it takes to free you up to consult on cases.” A trembling breath left her. “You should be proud of how far you’ve come, Rue, that you’ve healed enough to want to help others. Maybe one day Cam and I can pay it forward too.”
Tears pricked the backs of my eyes as she praised me for lying to her.
I wasn’t some champion for her to admire. I didn’t deserve her thanks. I was serving time. That was it.
Clay rested a hand on my shoulder, loaning me his strength to finish the conversation.
Superhuman hearing was truly a blessing and a curse, but I was grateful for the support.
“I expect to be gone at least a week,” I began. “Can you meet the repairmen on the schedule?”
A few might allow me some wiggle room, but it would be better for my bottom line to stay on track.
“No problem.” The responsibility settled on her thin shoulders without a hitch. “Anything else?”
“Stock the shelves between appointments, but otherwise, use your time wisely.”
“Done and…I make no promises.”
Had she ever been this eager to take on extra tasks? No. Camber had always been the ambitious one of the two. Arden worked hard and dreamed big, but she was content to support Camber and me rather than step out with her own projects or ideas.
Maybe this was what she needed right now, to take control, to have a say in what happened and when.