Chapter 23

“I didn’t mean to upset you,” Philip says, reaching for my hand. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

Nervously, I chew the end of my nail.

“Did Bret say anything about his mother Janice?” Philip asks, and I am instantly reminded of the feud between Janice and Philip a year ago.

“Yes,” I answer weakly. “But I didn’t probe the issue.”

He lifts his hand off me and rubs my back in slow, soothing motions. My eyes start to close, and I am suddenly sleepy. Philip says, “What happened last year was not your fault. You did the right thing by reporting Bret to the authorities. Janice should be thanking you for calling me. If Bret had broken into somebody else’s home, the circumstances would have been different, and things could have gotten much worse.”

“I think Janice knows that.”

“Have you spoken to her?”

I shake my head. “Bret told me that she wants to make amends.”