Small Things You Promised novel · Chapter 14 of 24

Chapter 14: Atlanta

Wiley didn't raise his voice.

He crouched down on my porch boards until he was eye level with his daughter.

"Hey, Lu."

"Hi, Daddy. Why are your feet out?"

"I'm airing them."

She giggled.

"Okay. You be good for Grammy."

"I'm always good for Grammy."

He kissed the top of her curls and stood up, and he didn't look at Lacy once.

Lacy put her sunglasses back on.

"Y'all enjoy your breakfast," she said.

She walked Lula down my steps to her white SUV.

Lula waved out the back window all the way down the hill.

Wiley waved back until the car turned at the bottom.

Then he went to the kitchen, sat down at my table, and didn't move.

He sat there for twenty minutes.

Missy ate one of his biscuits, very quietly, and went out back to call her mother about nothing.

I'd never seen him lost.

"Atlanta's two hours," he said finally. "On a twenty-four, I couldn't even get there for a Wednesday."

"I know."

"I should've gone home last night."

"Don't."

He looked up.

"Don't you dare put that on last night," I said.

He rubbed both hands over his face.

"Tell me it's going to be okay, Carlie."

Five years with Ty, and I'd heard every version of them. It'll be fine, babe. I'll handle it. No big deal.

"No," I said.

He stared at me.

"I'm not going to promise you anything," I said. "I'm going to make you a list."

I got up, slow, holding the counter.

I took the legal pad off the fridge.

SMALL THINGS was full. Thirty-one lines, every one crossed out.

I tore it off carefully and taped it to the side of the cabinet.

Then I wrote across the top of the fresh page, in my own bad capitals.

LU.

Wiley watched me.

"One," I said, and wrote it. "Your lawyer. Today. Saturday or not."

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