Page 128 of The Toy Maker

She sputtered, “Tara?—”

I sighed, “Don’t worry about it, I learned my lesson,”

“Fuck that.” She slammed her beer down on the counter, her expression shifting from shock to frustration. “Why didn’t you say something?”

It was my turn to be quiet. The truth was that I didn’t want to share him with anyone else, not even in stories.

“Is that why you left?” she asked when I decided I would rather not answer.

“I left because he made me.”

As I sat there, the music fading into the background, I realized how stupid I was. Why had I even come? To forget him? To drown out the memories in cheap drinks and loud music?

No.

I had come because, deep down, I wanted to feel close to him again. Even if it was in the last place I should be looking.

But that fragile illusion shattered when Jade spoke again. She shook her head. “Well, if it’s any consolation, I think he left with you.”

I snapped out of my trance, my fingers freezing around my glass. “What do you mean?”

“Nobody’s seen him since you were fired. We even had an inducting ceremony for a new Cherry, and he didn’t show.”

That caught me off guard. Jason not showing up? That wasn’t like him. He was always there, watching from the shadows, observing every move. I thought I had been the only one falling apart, but maybe…

I forced myself to shrug, pretending to be unfazed. “Huh.”

It worked—Jade let it go.

“So what’s your plan?” she asked, stretching her arms before downing the last of her beer.

“I’m moving in with my brother for a while,” I replied, swirling the last remnants of my drink before finishing it off.

“How long?”

I set the empty glass down with a soft clink. “Indefinitely.”

Jade raised an eyebrow. “You’d move to a different state just to avoid a guy you hooked up with?”

I met her gaze, struggling to find the words for what it felt like every time I thought about him—like something was missing, like I had left a piece of myself behind.

But I didn’t have to say it. She saw right through me. “It wasn’t just hooking up, was it?”

I dug around in my purse and pulled out the first twenty-dollar bill I felt before smacking it onto the bar. “Not for him.”

Jade sighed, shaking her head. “That’s his loss.”

I wished I could believe that.

Instead, I forced a small smile and murmured a goodbye before slipping off my stool. Staying here any longer would only drag me deeper into the mess I was trying to escape.

I pushed through the thickening crowd, the air growing hotter with every passing second, and kept my head down, moving quickly toward the exit.

The door swung open just as I reached it, and I barely managed to sidestep a group of people stumbling inside.

I cast one final look over my shoulder before I stepped out into the cool night air.

And then I was gone.