“Felix.” Tess nodded. “I remember meeting him once when he came to town with Gil. He was cute.”
Moira rolled her eyes. She’d thought Felix was cute, too, before she’d realized he was such a despicable human being. “I feel so foolish. I didn’t even like him that much.” She shook her head, wishing for the millionth time that she could have a do-over.
“Hindsight is twenty-twenty,” Lucy said.
Moira looked at her friends. “I can’t prove this, but Felix slipped something into my drink when I went to the bathroom. I only had a couple swallows of my drink before I excused myself. Once I returned and drank a little bit more, I was completely intoxicated. I don’t even remember what happened after that.”
Tess pressed a hand to her chest. “Oh, Moira.”
Moira held up a hand, needing to finish her story before she lost her nerve. “I do know that nothing happened, but only because Gil showed up and drove me home. Felix argued with him and wanted to drive me himself, but Gil insisted. When I woke up the next morning, Gil was in my kitchen making breakfast.”
“You could have been assaulted,” Lucy said. “If not for Gil.”
Moira nodded. “I slowly started putting the pieces together and came to that same conclusion. I went to the police, but there wasn’t enough evidence to make a case. It was my word against Felix’s.” She bounced her foot on the floor beneath her chair, trying to release her pent-up energy. “So I decided to take matters into my own hands and make him regret what he tried to do to me.” Moira rolled her lips together, feeling a rush of anger and guilt all at once.
“What happened?” Lara asked.
“I called Felix and told him what a great time I had the night before. I asked him to meet me at a park so we could hang out again that night. Instead of meeting him though, I broke into his apartment. The one he shared with Gil. And I just ransacked it. I broke things. I smashed things. I was so angry, not just for me but for all the women out there who’ve been through something similar or worse. I felt this sadness deep inside me, knowing that guys like him hurt people and get away with it all the time.” Moira sniffled. “It’s not fair. They should pay. He should pay. That’s what I was thinking.”
Tess put a hand on Moira’s shoulder. “It’s understandable that you would be upset. Just hearing what happened makes me beyond angry on your behalf.”
Moira glanced around at her circle of friends. There was no judgment in their eyes. On a breath, she continued. “Anyway, Gil showed up and called the cops before he realized it was me. The police came and arrested me, and I spent the night in jail. Not my finest moment.”
“What are you talking about?” Lucy asked. “I am prouder of you than I ever have been. You are amazing.”
“Because I got arrested?” Moira asked in disbelief.
“You were betrayed and hurt, and while violence is never the answer,” Tess said, “I agree with Lucy. I’m proud of you too. Not for taking matters into your own hands but for being such a strong, beautiful person, inside and out. Don’t let this news stop you from living your life and chasing your dreams. If you want to be mayor, go for it. If you want to be with Gil, be with him. The past is just that. The past.”
Moira shook her head. “The story that everyone else got paints me as the bad guy.”
“You don’t owe anyone an explanation,” Lucy said. “The charges were dropped, right?”
“Gil was the one who called the cops. Once he realized it was me, he dropped the charges. Felix threatened to file, but I think he thought better of it.”
“So Gil knows all of this?” Tess asked.
Moira nodded. “He does now. Back then, he thought I was ransacking his apartment because I was upset with him,” Moira said. “I felt so awkward around him for so long. I didn’t want to face him. I felt foolish and embarrassed. I just wanted to forget that whole weekend.”
“Like you said, you were young.” Della stepped over to the couch where Moira was sitting, and sat on the edge of the coffee table, facing her. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Moira. “I’d tell you to forgive yourself, but there’s nothing to forgive. You were just being human, lashing out at the things in this world that don’t make sense. We’ve all been there.” She pulled back and looked at Moira. “Maybe we all haven’t trashed someone’s apartment, but we’ve all wanted to. Trust me.” She smiled at Moira. “The truth is out now. You can stop letting it haunt you. It’s time for you to get back up on that horse and ride it.”
“What horse exactly are you talking about?” Lucy asked, making everyone laugh.
“It’s a figure of speech,” Della said with a slight eye roll. “We’re here for you, Moira. That’s the point.”
“I know, and I love you ladies. All of you.” Moira fought back her tears. These were happy tears. She was so lucky to have friends like these in her life.
“Where is this Felix guy now?” Lucy asked, sitting back down.
Moira shook her head. “I have no idea.”
Tess pulled her laptop to her thighs. “Felix Wilkes, right? Wasn’t that his name?”
“You’re searching for him online?” Moira wasn’t sure how she felt about that. What if he was out living his best life? What if he was the mayor of some other town?
“Bingo!” A few minutes later, Tess looked up and met Moira’s gaze. “He’s in jail, serving an eight-year sentence.”
Moira’s heart dropped into her belly. “Did he…was he…?” If he hurt another woman, some part of her would feel guilty—even though she never could have pressed charges against him anyway. Nothing had actually happened. Not that she could prove, at least.
“No.” Tess shook her head, calming Moira’s worries. “Apparently, Felix had a prescription drug habit, and he also got into selling. He wasn’t a good guy.”
“Understatement of the year,” Lucy said, folding her arms over her chest.
Moira sniffled. Some part of her felt relieved that Felix was serving time. That meant he couldn’t hurt anyone. He couldn’t hurt her either, unless she let him.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The tavern was crowded tonight, filled with laughter and music. So much so that Gil could barely hear the guys at the table. Probably for the best. He wasn’t in the mood for socializing. He just wanted to stay home with Goldie or maybe take his boat out on the lake. It was Doug who had pushed him to come here tonight. Sometimes Doug tagged along. He liked Gil’s friends, and Gil’s friends liked Doug. Actually, Gil’s friends had stopped being just Gil’s friends a long time ago. They were Doug’s too.
“Why so quiet tonight, Gilbert?” Jake asked.
Gil didn’t even have it in him to roll his eyes at being called Gilbert. “I’m just listening to you-all.”
“He’s sad that Moira isn’t talking to him,” Doug explained.
Gil glanced over at his brother. “Thanks for sharing that.”
“You’re welcome,” Doug said with a smile. He reached for his Coke and drank it.