Free Trent (Season Two: The Ninth Inning #4) by Lindsay Paige, Mary Smith

head out and mingle , then you should. Go
at your own pace.”
    “If I feel like it’s time?” I
frown. “Isn’t a whole bunch of time supposed to pass before I
should even wonder about it? Too soon would be disrespectful,
wouldn’t it?”
    “Trent,” she reaches over and
rests a hand on my forearm, “grief and mourning periods vary from
person to person. No person is going to say after six months you’re cured . The pain and loss of your wife is always going to be
there. Even if in a year you find someone else, your wife is always
around. Think of it this way. In twenty years when Kaelyn is
getting ready to have you escort her down the aisle, I’ll bet my
paycheck you’ll think of Deborah, and you’ll feel that familiar tug
of loss and pain again. It won’t be because you don’t love the
person you’re with at that time any less, because Deborah will
always be part of you. No time will change it.” She drops her
hand.
    “I wish Granny had of told me
that instead of telling me I needed fresh air,” I chuckle. “I guess
you’re right though. I think the what if’s are bugging me more than
anything. Like I’m worrying about everything before I have to, or
things I might not even have to worry about.”
    “This sounds silly, but take
it one day at a time. Don’t go onto some online dating site and
message every girl until you find someone you like. Be you and
relax. Everything will happen at the right time. You just have to
be patient and take it a day at a time.”
    “Whenever I need a pep talk,
I’m going to call you, okay?” I smile.
    “Trent, you can call on me
anytime. I’ll always help a friend.”
    “Thanks, Scarlett.” I glance
at the clock on the wall. “I should get ready to leave. I promised
Kaelyn I’d fix bacon cheeseburgers with homemade French fries for
dinner.”
    “Sound yummy. Go and enjoy
your family, Trent. I’ll see you around.”
    Before I leave, we exchange
numbers.
    ***

 
     
    I HOLD MY arms out and
the security guard sweeps up and down my sides and back. When
nothing alarms him, he motions me to walk forward. I turn in my
purse, keys, and any other valuables to the woman behind the glass.
She hands me a ticket and points over her shoulder. I turn and
follow another security guard through the large cages and a long
hallway.
    He escorts me into a small
room, and I sit in one of the metal chairs. I look around the dim
gray colored walls and notice the table is bolted to the floor. The
camera in the corner has a red light that blinks and I’m suddenly
nervous. The loud turn of the lock startles me and the squeaking is
the announcement that Dominic is walking into the room.
    He’s in a bright orange
jumpsuit, handcuffed and chained at his ankles. His sandy blond
hair is cut shorter than the last time I saw him. His green eyes
are dark and scary. The guard locks Dominic into place on the large
steel ring on the table. When he walks out, we stare at each other,
saying nothing.
    Looks like I’ll have to be
the first to speak. “How are you?”
    “I’m in jail. How do you
think I am?” he sneers.
    “Dom, stop. I’m trying to be
here for you.”
    “I don’t need you. My fate is
already laid out for me. You can leave.”
    I sigh and look at the man,
but see the boy who hid my only Barbie doll. “Your attorney asked
me to speak at the sentencing.”
    “Great.” He rolls his eyes.
“Are you planning on telling them what an upstanding citizen I am?
Maybe you should tell them I was a boy scout.”
    “Enough, Dom. I get it;
you’re bitter, but you put yourself in here. No one else but you.”
I grit my teeth at him.
    He moves his hands, and the
handcuff chains clank and rattle. “I know.” His tone quickly
changes. “I know why I’m here.”
    The tug at my heart as my
brother sits across from me in his jailhouse uniform and chains. “I
don’t think I’ll do it.”
    Dominic looks up at me. “You
don’t have to. It would just hurt you more and I...I don’t