Chapter 24: The Open Drawer

"I want all of it," I said.

Denton waited, with his glasses in his pocket.

"I want you to drive up three nights a week."

I smiled at him.

"I want your hands on me, slow and careful, and I want to be looking at you."

"Roxy."

"I want Tucker to talk. Out loud, not into the dark. I want to hear what he's been saving."

Tucker looked at his boots.

"And I want Byron where I can see him," I said. "At the table in the morning, and in the bed at night, with the door open."

The three of them stood on the dock in the last of the light and listened.

None of them looked away.

"There's one more thing," I said.

Byron's mouth moved. "Tell me."

"Some nights I'm going to be asleep."

Nobody breathed.

"Not drugged," I said. "Not fooled. I'll tell you which nights, in the kitchen, in daylight, with my coffee."

I looked at each of them.

"I'll lie there with my eyes shut, and you'll do what you like. In the morning I'll tell you what I thought of it."

Denton laughed, shakily, and put a hand over his eyes.

"God help me," Tucker said.

"You won't need God," I said. "You'll need to ask."

I went up the porch steps, and they followed me inside.

I did not turn on the hall light.

In my room I took the green notebook out of my back pocket and put it on the nightstand.

I opened the drawer that stuck and left it open an inch.

Then I got into bed, in my old yard t-shirt, and pulled the blanket to my chin and shut my eyes.

I lay there with my pulse going hard in my throat.

The house was quiet.

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