Page 23 of A Thousand Little Goodbyes

“Not yet. First, I think you should steal something from this room.”

“What?” Chrissie’s arms fell from her stomach, her guilty lookreplaced by one of wide-eyed fear. “Scarlett, I can’t do that! What if my parents found out?”

Scarlett cut her off with a sniff. “Who cares? It’s not like they’ll be able to prove it was you. Besides, they can’t knoweverythingthat’s in here. Let’s look in the closet, maybe, or under the bed. That’s where all the juicy stuff is.”

“You don’t understand,” Chrissie said—pleaded, even. “They’ll never forgive me if I mess this room up.”

“So? Is their forgiveness even worth having?”

Scarlett knew the exact moment she got through—the exact moment the devil on Chrissie’s shoulder pushed the angel off. It was in the way her wide eyes got even wider, with a sparkle in them that looked just like a shooting star.

“Actually, there is one thing I’ve always wanted.” Chrissie slapped her hands over her mouth as if shocked by her own daring. Then, peeling first one hand and then the other away, she added, “It’s in the closet. Top shelf. Near the back.”

The fact that Chrissie knew exactly where to find her secret treasure—and that it was hidden away—was enough to assure Scarlett that she’d made the right decision.

She recognized the object the moment they lifted the plastic container from the top shelf. Everything in there was Tupperwared up and organized with a label—extra underwear, size medium; winter sweaters, WOOL ONLY; memory/keepsakes—but it was the one with the label of games and activities that Chrissie went to first.

“Ohh, Chrissie. It’sbeautiful.” Scarlett’s voice turned reverent as she pulled out a paint-by-numbers kit that showed a pile of puppies spilling out of a basket. Each one had a big red bow around its neck, which matched an even bigger bow around the edge of the basket. “Malcolm never opened it?”

Chrissie shook her head as she accepted the painting kit, her handsgentle on the edges. “A neighbor gave it to him as a birthday present when he turned ten. He was too weak to do it by then, so he said I could have it and paint it for him. So he could hang it by his bed and think of me.”

A red-hot emotion the same color as the bow took hold of Scarlett by the throat.

“But your parents wouldn’t let you,” she said, no hint of a question in her voice. “They’d rather it sit here in the closet forever than you have even a little bit of fun.”

“No.” Chrissie shook her head. “That’s not it. Seeing it would just make my mom too sad, that’s all.”

“She’salwayssad,” Scarlett said scathingly. “Sometimes, I think she likes it.”

Chrissie nodded her agreement, which was all Scarlett needed to tuck the kit under one arm. Grandma had told her about a hundred times that everyone grieved differently, and that Chrissie’s parents were doing the best they could with a bad situation, but when you loved someone—reallyloved them—you didn’t drag them down with you. You used every bit of strength you had left to lift them up.

“Okay. You go get Mr. Bunny, and I’ll find a way to tie this to the back of my bike. You can spend the next two weeks painting, and I promise not to interrupt you a single time. Not even if I’m so bored I want to scream.”

Chrissie hesitated, but Scarlett refused to back down.

“It’s what I’d want you to do ifIwas the one who’d died,” she said. “I’d want you to paint and paint until the walls were covered with puppies. If it made you happy, I’d never stop you from doing anything. You know that, right?”

Scarlett knew the exact moment Chrissie gave in. Even more than the slow, careful smile or the way she reached over and gave Scarlett’s arm a quick squeeze, it was in the way she got just a little bit taller.Scarlett would always love Chrissie no matter what, but she loved her best when she took up as much space as possible.

“Okay,” Chrissie finally said. “You’re right. Thank you. I never would’ve had the guts to take it for myself.”

“I know,” Scarlett said, and she did—she really, truly did. “That’s why I’m here to help you. And why I’llkeephelping you until the day you don’t need me anymore.”

Chapter NineBoise, ID

Present Day

The knock at the motel door came around four o’clock in the morning.

Chrissie, who’d only fallen asleep a few hours before, was startled into heart-pounding wakefulness, her every sense on alert as she leaped out of bed and reached for the nearest weapon. Since this was the bedside lamp, and the heavy metal base was screwed down to prevent theft, she didn’t make it very far.

Not that it mattered when she found that Scarlett had already beaten her to the peephole. Scarlett was fully dressed and didn’t seem at all disoriented as she glanced over her shoulder at Chrissie.

“It’s your protégé,” she said as she unlatched the chain and swung the door open. “River! What are you doing here at this hour?”

By this time, Chrissie had managed to orient herself to her surroundings. She also oriented herself to the fact that the girl’s heavily studded face was streaked with tears, her hair dripping down her back as she stood clutching a faded yellow suitcase in the rain.

“Did you mean what you said before?” she asked, looking first at Scarlett and then at Chrissie, oddly hesitant to cross the threshold intothe room. “About wanting to help me?”