Page 59

Dustin didn’t like Nick.

He was nice to Laney, but Dustin knew what he wanted. He looked at Laney the way men looked at Ma. Like she was for sale, and he just needed to bid the right amount.

He always seemed to have wads of cash in his pockets and constantly offered to take Laney out. Sometimes she’d take him up on it, dressing up and going out with him. Sometimes she’d bring Dustin, though he knew Nick didn’t like that. Sometimes she’d turn him down entirely, kicking him out of the house, not even letting him hang around.

She brought home stacks and stacks of books from the library every few days, writing down the titles of the ones she liked on a list on the fridge. Shane visited Dustin at the bakery one morning, picking him up and taking him out for breakfast. When Laney saw his truck back out of the driveway after he dropped him off, saw that he hadn’t come in, she’d ripped her list off the fridge and thrown it in the trash.

She let Nick into her room that night. He didn’t come out for a long time.