When the doorbell rang, Melissa ran to answer.

“That was fast,” she said as Sully walked in with a suitcase.

“I didn’t want to give you too much time to change your mind.”

She grinned. “Follow me, and I’ll show you the bedroom I picked out for you. It has a king-size bed.”

“Much appreciated,” he said, and followed the sway of her backside as she led him up the stairs.

“This is my bedroom,” she said, pointing to the door on the right. “And this is yours.” She opened the door and walked in, turning on the light as she went.

“Wow, this is beautiful! Thank you,” Sully said.

“Wait until you see the bathroom,” she said, and pointed the way.

He walked in, then turned to her with a grin on his face.

“Two rain showerheads? A jetted tub? Man, would the guys at the station ever love something like this to come back to after a long, hard call.”

Melissa smiled, pleased that he was impressed with the comforts she was offering.

“I’ll leave you to get settled. All kinds of toiletry items are in that first drawer, but if there’s something missing that you need, just ask. I’ll be in the kitchen.”

“You aren’t cooking anything just because I’m here, are you?”

“No, just reheating some of the food Ruby and Rachel brought. Take your time. There’s no hurry as to when we eat.”

“Thank you for this, and for letting me into your life. I won’t betray your trust.”

“Oh, I know you won’t, Sully. I wouldn’t have offered it if I thought that might happen,” she said, then turned and walked out.

He heard her footsteps going back downstairs and then threw his suitcase on the bed to unpack.

* * *

Barb Holland’s family arrived in four vehicles. She met them at the door with tears in her eyes, and the moment she saw the empathy on their faces, she was crying.

“Lord, lord, I am so grateful to see all of you. Come in, come in.”

Her brother Bobby Austin hugged her. “So sorry this happened, Sis. We thought the world of Niles.”

Then Barb saw her eighty-year-old daddy, Jake Austin, and fell apart. “It was the whiskey, wasn’t it, baby?” Jake asked.

“Yes. I just couldn’t get him to slow up on it. I worried about it all the time. He wouldn’t listen, and he wouldn’t stop driving when he was like that.”

Bobby’s wife, Wynona, came up and hugged her. “Barbara Ann, I want you to hear me good. It was not your responsibility to control your man. He made a choice every day to do what he damn well pleased, and you know it. All this is on him, and it breaks my heart for your grief.”

“Thank you, Wy. I think I needed to hear that. All the people I thought were our friends have been awful. They’ve been talking about Niles like he was some drunk walking the streets, and my girlfriends have decided to set themselves up as judge and jury and point fingers at me. It was so hurtful. Something I never saw coming.”