“I didn’t know, but I should have. If I’d just thought…I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. I should have known that he would find out I was happy, and he would come after me.” Her words came out small and rushed, with no breaths in between.

Noelle wanted to dam them up, but she couldn’t stop the flood. She hated that she’d said anything. She knew Miriam better than that. She might hurt people accidentally by being insular and wrapped up in her own pain, but she would never knowingly put any of them at risk.

“That’s what he does—my mom’s right. I’m sure he’s already planning to pay her back for even being here, with me. He’s been monitoring my social media, I know that. I should have been careful. I didn’t think there was anything else he could do to me, because he already took everything. I should have remembered he could still come after my friends.”

“I shouldn’t have—” Noelle said, trying to hold on to Miriam, but she wrenched her body away.

“I have to go. I have to leave Carrigan’s, and then he’ll leave you all alone. You’ll be safe if I go.” Miriam tried to get out from where she was sandwiched in the middle of the booth, pushing at Cole to move.

Noelle felt something inside her fracture, her panic and anger crescendoing and crashing to shore.

She’d asked Miriam what would happen the next time she got spooked, and Miriam had promised she wouldn’t run again. She’d told Miriam that she couldn’t handle another person leaving, and Miriam had begged for a chance to prove herself.

“I don’t know what else to do, Noelle,” Miriam said, finally freeing herself and standing. “I can’t take Carrigan’s from all of you. I won’t be the person who takes the only thing you love away from you.”

“I don’t want you to fall on your sword, Miriam,” Noelle protested, furious. “I want you to fight for this.”

“Elijah,” Miriam said quietly, firmly, “please draw up paperwork to give my shares to Hannah and Noelle. It’s what I should have done from the beginning.”

Before Noelle could object again, Miriam fled, outside, into the snow. Noelle grabbed a jacket to push out after her.

“I’ll go,” Cole said, starting to get up.

Noelle held out a hand. “I’m going.”

He scowled but nodded.

She found Miriam outside, shivering, with the snow swirling around her. She was staring off into the back acreage, concentrating hard on something Noelle couldn’t see. Noelle slipped her jacket over Miriam’s shoulders, and Miriam turned her face up to Noelle’s. Noelle had never seen her so pale.

“I’m going to miss the trees,” Miriam said. “I was trying to memorize them.”