Page 5 of True Abandon

I nearly drop the pack of Duracell in my hand at her wildly incorrect statement. “Hawaii is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.”

She waves me off. “Whatever. They’re Hawaiian hurricanes. Totally different.”

“Totally different is right,” I mutter under my breath.

Kelli is living a pipe dream right now. Every month she says she’s moving somewhere new. Last year it was L.A. Before that, Vegas. She seems to keep relocating her next destination further out west. Soon she’ll be saying Japan. Truth is, she isn’t going anywhere. She’s a dreamer and a flighty one at that.

She puts her hand inside the top of her dress to lift her boobs up in her bra. She’s staring at her cleavage with an appreciative look. “Speaking of which, I bought my ticket.”

“Ticket?”

“For Hawaii. I’m moving at the end of next month.”

This time I actually do drop something. Thankfully, it’s only a box of Band-Aids. “What do you mean you’re moving?”

She looks at me with her head tilted to the side and brow creased in confusion. “Trish, I’ve been talking about moving to Hawaii for months. I told you I was applying for jobs. I even showed you apartments I was looking at.”

I stare at her. Not moving. Not flinching. Not saying a word.

She rises from the couch. “What’s wrong? Why aren’t you fidgeting?”

I blink a few times.

“Trish, please say something. You’re scaring me.”

She went to school for business before she decided she wanted to be a hair-stylist. At twenty-five, she should be focusing on her career, not moving to the middle of the ocean on a whim. This is the time to establish yourself, make something of your chosen vocation—put down roots. Not that I should talk. I’m just a lowly assistant at a digital production company, Asher-Marks Communications. I’ve been trying to make a name for myself, but can’t seem to get a permanent promotion.

“You’re really moving?” I ask in disbelief.

“Yes. I got a job at a hotel working at a high-end salon.”

“Why would you do that when we have the best salon’s in the country right here?”

She shoves a hand on her hip and points out the window. “Because it’s dark and dreary here. I want sunshine and adventure.”

“Where will you live?”

“In an apartment I rented,” she answers slowly like I’m an idiot for not knowing her plans.

“But you haven’t seen it. How will you know the area is safe? What if you get there and it’s a dump? Or the neighbors are sex offenders?”

She takes an exasperated breath. “I don’t, Trish. It’s called taking a chance. Ever heard of it?”

“I don’t gamble.”

“You don’t live.”

My jaw drops with a gasp. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Kelli tugs on the ends of her brown hair and closes her eyes in frustration. “It means you let an asshole from almost a decade ago destroy every decision you make today.”

I furrow my brow at the mere mention of Jackson. The nightmare I had is still too fresh. “That’s not true.”

She crosses her arms and lowers her forehead. “It’s not? You’re in a career you hate. You can’t commit to save your life, and you’re writing every word I’m saying right now on your thumb.”

I cast my attention to my hand where my index finger is tracing words on my thumb. It’s a small habit I do when I feel like I have zero control over a situation. I force my hands apart and splay them on my hips.

She takes a step toward me and places a hand on the counter. “We both know you’re never moving in with Kevin.”