Page 10 of Wolf's Fate

Lily’s silence spoke volumes. “Why now?” she finally asked.

“Because someone or someones broke into my house and the store and wrecked them both.” I spoke over her barrage of questions. “And I can’t do this by myself, I need you. But I can’task for or expect your help without telling you what’s been going on.”

Lily was silent again and I had a moment where I was sure she might hang up, and then she spoke. “Are you okay? Were you there when it happened?”

“I’m okay. I wasn’t at either place.” The tears fell silently down my cheeks, and I didn’t bother wiping them away.

“Have you called the police?” She sounded so calm.

“They’ve been to the house, seen the mess there.”

“Where are you?” she asked, her tone clipped.

“At the store.”

“Don’t move. I’ll be there in fifteen.”

“Okay.” My head rested against the wall. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me,” Lily said, and I could hear her moving. “You and I are about to have a really big fight,” she told me, her voice low and controlled. “Then you’re going to tell me everything, and then you’re going to buy me pizza.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.” I heard her hesitate. “Should I bring my dad? To clean up?”

“No, I can manage.”

“Okay. Sit tight.” She said goodbye and then I was alone in the store, my life a mess around me.

As the night got darker, every shadow felt like a threat, every creak a warning that someone had been there and could come back. I listened to it all as the panic rose in my chest, and then I remembered what I had told Ned and Royce.

I was stronger than this, and I refused to let my own fear consume me.

Lily arrived like the whirlwind she was. A force ofnature that made everything get out of her way. She took one look at the store, at me, who had gotten off my ass and started to clean up, and she phoned in reinforcements.

My students, Lorna and Peter, arrived. Lorna’s mama bear instincts took over, and within an hour of Lily arriving, I had spoken to two police officers, Lorna had called my insurance, basically forced me and them to agree she could talk on my behalf, and had given them my police incident report number as she explained the situation. She directed Peter to take photos of everything. Her husband was a carpenter, and he was taking measurements.

Lily’s dad was here after all, and he was organizing new locks on doors. If I was honest, I was kind of pushed into a corner, given a cup of tea, and pretty much told to stay out of their way.

Which I needed. Because seeing my friends step in and take over allowed me to process the enormity of what happened, and I wasn’t doing as well as I thought I was. Which was no surprise. Who would be?

No, I was grateful for my friends. Lily had given me a look that told me we would talk later, but for now, she was focused on fixing things. Lorna left with her husband when they found out my house was worse.

She returned to tell me she’d packed a bag and I was staying with her while her husband fixed walls, doors, windows…pretty much my house. She assured me it would only be for a few days, but their kindness and their support, it was too much, and I broke down.

They ushered me out of my store, an army of volunteersbusy putting everything to rights, and Lily drove the three of us to Lorna’s.

Somehow, I was showered, in one of her son’s beds, wearing jammies that weren’t mine, with a plate of toast and a big mug of tea, while Lorna left “us girls” to rest, and she was going back to the store to make sure the “workers” were fed.

I felt guilty, but Lily shushed me when I started to protest. “Shh, she’s not been this busy since her sons left for college,” she whispered. “Let her do this.”

We heard the door close, and I ate my toast quietly. I felt her get comfortable beside me, and when I’d swallowed my last bite, I met the look of my best friend.

“Start talking.”

FOUR

Willow