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Back Tell me to Lie
Chapters (41)
  1. Cover
  2. About Tell Me to Lie
  3. Praise for Charlotte Byrd
  4. Don’t Miss Out!
  5. Also by Charlotte Byrd
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. Excerpt of Dangerous Engagement (Wedlock Trilogy Book 1)
  39. Connect with Charlotte Byrd
  40. Also by Charlotte Byrd
  41. About Charlotte Byrd

And that’s exactly why I have to find out if the DNA is a match. It’s the missing link. It’s my only hope of proving that Nicholas had nothing to do with either of those murders.

23

Olive

When I go back…

The flight the following morning to Palm Springs International Airport is long but uneventful.

Josephine picks me up and helps me load my carry-on into her BMW. After a brief hug at the curb, we head over to her house, about a twenty minute ride.

She is, of course, my other reason for coming back here.

I was in such a bad place when I took off, I didn’t know how to make things right.

I wanted to apologize so much and yet I couldn’t find the words.

We’ve talked a few times since I got back to Boston but every time I felt like there was this space between us that was only getting bigger and bigger with each conversation.

No matter how much I tried, I couldn’t get through.

Josephine knows why I’m back here and she knows what I want to do. Since Owen was arrested for attacking me, his bail has been denied and he is awaiting trial.

I’m not entirely sure what will happen if, or rather when, he is convicted. He will probably get some time here and then he will have to serve the rest of his sentence in Massachusetts for fleeing the state and breaking the rules of his parole. The two states will probably have to decide where he will serve his sentence or maybe he will have to do them consecutively.

This is not what I want to talk to Josephine about though.

Instead, I want to apologize for not being open.

I want to thank her for opening her home and heart up to me.

I want to thank her for not turning me away when I first came to see her.

I want to thank her for introducing me to her husband and her children.

I want to thank her for never stopping looking for me. And mainly, I want to ask her if I can call her ‘Mom.’

But as we drive up into the hills and I lose myself in the blueness of the sky and the warmth of the sun on my skin, I can’t bring myself to say any of those things.

Instead, I just look at her and blink away a tear that threatens to run down my cheek.

Later that evening, while we are drinking wine and laughing over Thai takeout, I finally tell her the whole story.

Her husband’s brother is in town and they took all the kids to see a car race, leaving us alone in the house.