Page 26 of Timber's Line

“Dude, only London and I know. I won’t tell you how I found out, but if Sal finds out . . .”

“I’m done, I know it. Brice knows as well. I need to do this, Memphis.”

“Last one.”

“You sound like him.” I gesture toward my brother.

“Last one, promise me.”

“I think I’m going to need this last one.”

“Talk to him. We’ll go together, and we will support you when you meet Snow.”

“Meet her?”

“Ever called her and asked her to meet us at a bar. It’s in public, so you can’t lose your shit.”

I snort. “Hasn’t stopped me before.”

“I will stop you if I have to. I can’t have you messing up. Fuck, D, I care about you. You’re one of my best friends. I can’t lose you, and if you keep holding in those dark feelings, I will.”

Memphis never talks about his feelings, so I know he means this.

“I have a lot to fix in here.” I tap my head.

“We will get there. You’re not alone.” I needed to hear that. I know they’ve said it before, but I was so angry, I didn’t want to listen to it.

“Memphis.” My brother’s date is done.

“Brice.” Memphis stands and shakes his hand.

“Guess you know then?” Brice asks him, looking at me.

“Yeah. We’ll go with you. But you two need to talk.”

“Yes, we do.” He sits down next to me.

“She’s a pretty girl,” he says, looking to where Timber is drinking tea. She laughs at something Brick says, and I have to swallow hard.

“I think talking to Snow is a good idea.”

“Why do you even care?”

“The fire wasn’t your fault.”

“You blamed me.”

“I was upset, hurt, my wife died.”

“I tried to get her out.”

“I know that, now. I took everything out on you back then, and I said some hurtful things to you.”

“I hear her screams at night, mixed with Snow’s from the crash. I watched the house go up in flames. I tried to get back inside, but everything started falling apart, and I took the coward way out and watched it burn.”

“I was wrong about everything.”

“My scars remind me.”