“This is not a funny joke, Pat.”
Rebecca almost laughed at first. Those were the wildest words she had ever heard. But when she looked at my face, the smile faded.
I wasn’t joking.
That made it worse.
Pat Allen… successful? Changing her life like it was easy? It didn’t make sense. Maybe I was just trying to comfort her. It was strange, but she wanted to believe I meant well.
“I’m not someone who jokes about things like this,” I said quietly. “I’m serious.”
Rebecca’s heart began to race. She didn’t know why, but hope felt scarier than fear. She let herself imagine it for just a second… a different life. A better one.
It felt dangerous.
She leaned closer. “How would you even do that? Moving out of Murkwood is expensive. Starting a business is expensive. Do you think money grows on tr
