Holland
“How are you holding up?” he asked.
“Like a person who just found out her boss is a fairy tale,” I said, and watched his mouth tug in a smile.
“That’s one way to say it.” He perched, forearms resting on his thighs, big hands hanging easy. He didn’t fill the room with himself. He left space between words. “Talk to me. What’s the fear actually about? The wolf or the man who stood under the lamp?”
“The man,” I said without hesitating. Honesty came easier than I expected. “Robbie. He just… he’s like mold. He gets into the walls.”
Todd nodded like that metaphor came pre-installed. “You’re worried he’ll find you here.”
“Yes.” The word stuck to my tongue. “He called. Or someone did. And the wind—” My laugh sounded embarrassingly wet. “My brain keeps turning branches into boots.”
“B
