My cheeks burned. “I forgot. I’m sorry.” I pulled it out and walked over to hand it to him.
“No. I want you to keep it. I want you to be able to reach me.”
I sighed, knowing that, as it was with so many other things, I didn’t have a choice. I’d need some way to communicate with Tee-Tee and maybe even the sheriff. “I’ll return it as soon as I get another one.”
“I wish you wouldn’t do this.”
“I have to, Edge. I can’t stay here.”
He closed his eyes and nodded. “Be safe, Rebel.”
“I will.”
“If you need anything—anything at all—please come to me, call me.”
“I can take the clothes back to Shadow if you want me to.”
He shook his head. “She said they’re yours to keep.”
“I don’t want them.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“Thank you. Thank you for everything.” Before I burst into tears, which I was close to doing, I got in the car and put the key in the ignition. I had no idea if it would start. If it didn’t, it would make this whole overly dramatic exit pretty lame.
It started, thank God. I backed out of the garage, not allowing myself to look to see if Edge was still standing in it or if he’d gone inside. If I did, I might lose my resolve.
I parked Susan near the dining hall and walked up to the door. Like whether my car would start or not, I wondered if I’d still have access to this building. When I put my palm on the pad and looked into the reader, the door clicked open.
Tee-Tee was sitting at the desk in the kitchen but stood and rushed over to me. “Mija? What are you doing here? I heard what happened yesterday. ¡Ay, Dios mio!” She crossed herself.
“I need to talk to you, Tee-Tee.”
“Come and sit.” She led me to where she’d been sitting and pulled another chair over. “Tell me what happened.”
God, I was going to miss this woman. Being around her after so many years, even for a short while, had been so comforting. She was the mother I wished I had. Loving, direct, tough as nails. I could add forgiving and generous now too. Although she’d always been generous. Even when she had little to nothing, she shared what she had. That was how I met her after all, when Blanca shared her lunch with me.
“I want you to know how much I appreciate the chance you gave me…” I blew out a deep breath, trying my damndest not to cry. “I’ve never been so appreciative of anyone in my life. Just that you believed I could do it meant more than anything.”
“You’re not telling me what happened. It sounds like you’re saying goodbye. Why?”
My shoulders slumped forward. “Because I am.”
“I don’t understand.?
?
“The murder charges against me are going to be dropped. It might happen as soon as today. I won’t be living on the ranch any longer.”
“I’m very happy to hear that, but it doesn’t answer my question about why you’re leaving.”
“Edge has been so kind, so generous, but I can’t take advantage of him any longer. I’m sure when he agreed to be my custodian, he didn’t realize what he was getting himself into.”
“What I don’t understand is why you’re leaving your job here?”
“I just told you, I won’t be living on the ranch.”
“So?”