“I just got off the phone with the lawyers,” he says. “We scheduled the will reading for one month from today.”

My head snaps up. “A month? Why so long?” I ask before I can stop myself. All eyes in the room fall on my face, but it’s mostly Murph’s gaze that I feel like daggers in my skin. I didn’t mean for it to come out so harsh, but I admit I don’t know how these things work. I thought they would settle it faster, and this news only means that I have longer to sit on this secret piece of information that keeps me up at night.

I consider telling him about the note I found. If I prepare him for it, we can devise a plan. Maybe I could even come clean about Hugo and convince him to buy the shop from me, giving me enough money to leave Wickett behind.

If he lets me leave.

“You in a hurry?” Murph asks, staring at me from the spot near the fireplace.

“No, I just… I didn’t know how long these things took. Ryder, will you be around that long?” I ask.

Murph lets out a scoff. “I doubt he would miss it.”

“Fuck off,” he snaps at Murph. Then he directs his attention to me. “Yes. Lucy and I will be here through the summer.”

“Good,” I smile.

“What about you?” Murph asks me, his face blank and his voice cold.

I shrug. “Where am I gonna go?”

He doesn’t reply, but he keeps his blank expression on my face. We’ve kept our distance outside the bedroom, but suddenly I want him to sit next to me on the couch, put his arm around me, hold me close, treat me like something more than a quick fuck.

Which is a very stupid thing to be thinking.

“The month will go by fast. Then we can all make our plan for the future,” Ryder says, mostly to me, and it does ease my nerves. So I send him a cautious smile.

“I have to go back to work tomorrow,” Murph says. I swallow down the pit of anxiety that causes in my stomach. For some reason, the idea of him going back to his normal life feels a lot like he’s leaving me behind.

“I’ll stay at the house, though. Just to help Ruby out and plan the party.”

It only makes me feel slightly better. The party is only a week away. What happens after that?

Lucy lets out a long yawn and snuggles closer to my side. A moment later, Ryder walks over and picks her up to take her to bed. Before she leaves, she waves goodbye to everyone, but I notice that she waves a second longer at Murph. I can see the way she’s trying to crack his armor too. Chances are she’ll have better luck than me.