At least that part was true.
“I think I get it,” she said, sipping at her drink.
“You do?”
“Oh yeah.” Her manicured nail jabbed at me. “Turns out he wasn't who you thought he was, huh?”
My eyes flew wide, hands crushing the table edge. She was too close to the reality of it all.
Her hair bounced, her nodding never seeming to stop. “I knew he couldn't be that rich. He was faking being a big shot, trying to impress you and all, and you figured it out. Well, good for you, Alexis!”
Laughing sheepishly, I slid deeper in my chair. Good for me. “I guess so.”
“You're better off without a faker.” She blinked at me. “Shit, I just realized something.”
My heart thumped. “What?”
Narrowing her eyes, she sighed dramatically. “That dress was probably a fake, too. And here I was, hoping to borrow it from you and never return it again. Life is awful.”
Holding my mouth, I bent forward and shook with laughter. The movement rattled me so hard it eased out the tension that had built up for several days. Wiping my eyes, I saw Laralie smiling at me knowingly. “Thanks,” I said. “I needed that.”
Dropping some money, she stood up. “Don't mention it. Just treat me to a good time in the future and we'll call it even. I haven't been out in forever!”
Together we slid out the restaurant door, the air feeling cleaner to me. My steps were lighter, too. Was the weight that had been sitting on the back of my neck vanishing?
It was a short walk back to our building. With all the people wandering the sidewalks, I didn't notice the detective at first. But he saw me, his arm lifting to wave. “Miss Willow!”
Laralie froze exactly like I did.
He'd been leaning against the stone wall that ran along the sidewalk. Now, he pushed forward, coming our way with determination. I counted his every step until he was right in front of me. “Miss Willow,” he said again, tipping his chin. “How are you doing?”
“What do you want?” There was no hiding my sharpness. Roose had left me in pieces when he'd met with me last. I didn't want to repeat that.
It amazed me that he didn't look like the threat I felt he was. He didn't even look like he belonged in law enforcement; his hair was too messy, his clothes too casual.
The silence stretched until Laralie broke it. “She asked you a question.”
“I'm aware.” He hadn't stopped eyeballing me. I wiped my palms on my hips, and he watched that, too. “Miss Willow, I was doing some thinking.”
“Were you,” I mumbled.
“Yeah. Last time we talked, you were... upset. Part of that seemed to come from your fuzzy memory.” Lifting an eyebrow, he pursed his lips. “I'm guessing you haven't remembered anything still?”
I swallowed loudly. “Nothing.” Where was he going with this?
Cocking his jaw, Roose sighed. “I'll just jump to it. Miss Willow, I want you to come with me to Old Stone Bank.”
I locked my knees out, ignoring how they ached. “I don't... what? Why?”
Laralie lifted her hands, sensing my unease and acting like she was going to catch me if I fell.
“I've done some research. In cases like yours, where a victim—”
Victim. I hated that word, but was he wrong?
“—represses their memories, going back to the scene of the trauma can jolt everything back into place.”
Shaking myself head to toe, I breathed in and filled my lower belly. The pressure kept me stable, strong. “No,” I said. “I can't go.” Never again. I said I'd never go back.
“And why is that?” he asked.
I glanced at my building. “We're in a crunch,” I lied. “I can't miss any work. I've got to get back before my boss flips out.”
Roose's smile ate my confidence away. “Thank goodness I already talked to your boss. He told me he'd be more than happy to let you assist me, in the name of the law and all that. Good guy, that one.”
Good guy, alright. I was mentally choking him.
Laralie looked me over, her tone gentle. “Maybe you should go, Alexis.”
I leaned away from her. “What?”
“Are your memories from back then really... you know, gone?”
Her concern was throwing me off. The armor I'd crafted out of terror and bitter exhaustion cracked off of me in bits. “Yes,” I whispered.
“That would drive me crazy.” Her shoulders rode high. “I don't know. As much as this guy is grating my nerves from how up your ass he's being—”
“Excuse me,” Roose coughed.
“As much as all that, not knowing would be the worst. If going back there can shake things loose, what's the harm?”
Both the detective and I blinked at her. He was baffled, and I was—amazingly—not as betrayed as I expected to feel. Laralie's heart was in the right place, and she had no idea she was putting me in a tough spot.