Page 85 of The Overnight Guest

“You lost your parents and brother there, in your childhood home. I know how hard it was for you to go back there and work on the book—but if you hadn’t been there, Josie would have died and I would have too. Or maybe Randy would have found us and brought us back home.”

“That wasn’t your home,” Wylie interrupted angrily. “It was a prison.”

“Yes,” Becky agreed. “It was a prison. But Josie was there with me. And because of you, I was lucky enough to go back to my true home. The house where I grew up. A place where I felt safe and loved every single day of my life. I’m sleeping in my old bedroom, in my old bed and my mother is right down the hall.”

“But...” Wylie began.

“And that’s all I’ve wanted since that night Randy Cutter took me,” Becky continued, “to go home. And now I’m home with my little girl. I know that things aren’t going to be perfect, that I’ve got a long road ahead of me and Josie probably has a longer one. But we’re home and that’s enough for now.”

Becky reached for Wylie’s hand. “Think about it. What’s the safest place you know?”

Wylie wanted to say she didn’t have a true home. It was one of many things that Randy Cutter had stolen from her. She was still always looking over her shoulder. She had no safe place.

Wylie looked down the sidewalk where Seth, Josie, and Margo were waiting for them at the corner. Seth raised his hand and waved.

And then it came to her. Her son. No matter where she went, no matter the number of miles between them, he was her true north. He was her home.

Wylie smiled, waved back, and then turned to Becky. “Everything is actually going to be okay, isn’t it?” she asked.

They stood there, watching for a moment as Seth, Josie, and Margo laughed and called out to them, “Hurry up!”

“I think it is,” Becky said. “But listen, I know you still blame yourself for what happened to me. I saw how you reacted when you read from that part of the book.”

Wylie shook her head. She didn’t want to talk about this anymore.

“No, wait,” Becky said standing in front of Wylie so she had to look her in the eye. “Sometimes letting go is a good thing. Sometimes it’s the only thing left to do.”

Wylie bit the insides of her cheeks, trying not to cry, but still the tears came.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Becky said. “It was Randy Cutter’s fault—his alone. Let go of it,” Becky begged. “I never blamed you, not even once, so please stop blaming yourself.”

Becky took Wylie’s hand in her own. “Sisters forever, right?”

“Sisters forever,” Wylie whispered.