Life Rewired (Aspen Friends, Book 3)

by Galli, Lynn

  She was still in her police uniform, which was another thing I didn’t like about her. She was the typical power-hungry authority figure. I’d seen her put a tourist through roadside sobriety tests just because she thought his vanity license plate was obnoxious.

  “Hey, Cherise.”

  “Shopping?” Her brown eyes twinkled like she’d made a deductive conclusion.

  “Getting groceries,” I confirmed unnecessarily. What else would I be doing in a grocery store? Giving a poetry reading?

  “Haven’t seen you in a while. What have you been up to?” She ran her fingers through her short, dark blond hair. Curious how the same shade did so much more for Falyn.

  “Working mostly.” It was best to keep things brief because—ah, yes, there it was. Her walkie crackled to life.

  As usual, she put up a stopping hand and leaned down toward the mic on her shoulder to hear whatever the dispatcher was calling out. She wasn’t on duty, but she liked that it made her look important.

  “Do you need to respond?” I asked, stroking her ego as she would expect.

  “No, unit three has it.” If memory served, unit three was Kevin. She knew I knew Kevin. Why not just say that Kevin was taking care of it?

  “Well, good to see you.” I tried to push past her, but she stopped me.

  “You heard from Brandy recently?”

  Ah, so this was the reason for her sudden chattiness. She liked Brandy. She wanted Brandy, but J&B’s competitiveness kept her from being able to keep a hold on Brandy. They’d been together a few times. Brandy wasn’t enamored. Cherise was.

  “She’s in Denver for the rest of the summer like usual.”

  Cherise knew this. J&B vacated Aspen during the non-skiing months. They had a standing summer sublet in Denver to work at some clothing boutique. They liked the discount and the city but returned each winter to be ski instructors at Snowmass where they raked in more tips than I did all year.

  I studied Cherise, wondering why she was asking me about this. She must have thought bringing up Brandy would make me mention her to Brandy the next time we talked. Like we were in homeroom, and I was going to tell Brandy that Cherise was crushing on her when I saw her in geometry class later.

  “Oh, yeah. Might have to head up there and hang out soon.”

  Yippee for her. Why did she think I cared about this? We weren’t exactly buddies who confided in each other.

  “Did you grab the French bread?” Falyn asked as she came up behind me.

  Cherise’s eyes narrowed when she caught sight of Falyn. “What’s going on here?”

  “Have you two met?” I glanced back at Falyn. She was rooted to her spot three steps away, muscles tense. Only her eyes moved, first from Cherise to me, then from Cherise to the front of the store. She looked ready to bolt. After the police visits to her home, any cop must make her nervous.

  “Oh, we’ve met.” Cherise’s expression went from suspicious to superior. “What are you doing hanging out with an ex-con, Molly?”

  What? What kind of bull was she throwing my way now? “What are you talking about?”

  “She didn’t tell you?” She gave me a haughty grin. “This is classic. Brandy’s going to love hearing about this.”

  Falyn gripped my elbow and tipped her head, indicating she was ready to go. I wanted to leave, too, but I didn’t like Cherise getting mouthy about her. I was about to fire back when I recognized that hurt look on Falyn’s face. She was getting choked up, and I didn’t want her to feel cornered.

  “Let’s go.” I turned my back on Cherise.

  “No, you need to hear this.” Cherise’s big hand grabbed my forearm to stop me. She was two inches shorter, but she had the hands of a giant. “Your little friend here did time.”

  I spun around. She looked serious, not like she was trying to push my buttons. She tended to exaggerate or come on too strong in some situations, especially when she was meeting new people. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “We pulled her in for questioning on a recent B&E. Or didn’t she tell you that? Yeah, your little pal here did what?” She glanced at Falyn with question in her eyes. “A dime for multiple burglaries.”

  “I’m leaving,” Falyn stated before I had a chance to respond. She darted up the aisle and straight out the door.

  “What’s with you, Cherise? That’s not funny.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “I know it’s not. That’s why I told you. She’s obviously been lying to you, but you need to know about her. We don’t have the evidence this time, but she’s a thief.”

  “Are you serious?” I used my hardest tone to let her know I wasn’t joking around. I allowed her and many of my friends to have fun at my expense because I could take it. But this wasn’t something to joke about.

  “She was part of a burglary ring in Boulder like ten years ago. She went to prison for it. Didn’t you know?”

  No. I didn’t. If it was true, I felt like I should. It couldn’t be true, though. I knew Falyn. She wasn’t a person who would do that. She worked hard. She enjoyed the little things in life. She didn’t care about money or possessions. No, nothing about what Cherise said matched up with the woman I knew.

  “Is this another one of your elaborate jokes? Just own up to it now, because if you don’t, I’ll never speak to you again.”

  Her hands came up in a defensive gesture. “I’m not. I swear. I was surprised to see her with you. I know we haven’t always been good friends, but she’s an ex-con and you deserve better.”

  Her radio crackled to life again, and this time, she acted like she had to take the call. I watched her abandon her cart and hit the exit at a trot. Normally I’d make fun of the trot that would hardly save her any time, but it didn’t even cross my mind. That was how much what she’d said screwed with my head.

  Twice, I’d watched Falyn deal with the police. If what Cherise said was true, she had every opportunity to tell me she’d gone to jail and she hadn’t. What did that say about how “close” our friendship was?

  22

  Groceries in hand, I approached Falyn’s house hesitantly. I didn’t want to have this discussion, and yet, I did. Cherise could have been lying or exaggerating. It was the only explanation for what she’d told me. None of what she said meshed with the Falyn I’d been getting to know and certainly not the Falyn I was starting to have feelings for.

  The door popped open before I reached it. Curtis shot me a wide smile. “Hey, Mol.”

  “Hi, Curtis. Is Falyn around?”

  He grabbed two bags to help. “Lena called about a blown breaker at her place. Falyn’s over there trying to fix it. You want to wait?”

  “Thanks.” I followed him inside.

  “This is a lot. You doing her shopping for her now?” Curtis kidded.

  “We were shopping together, but I got tied up. Thought I’d drop the groceries by.”

  I didn’t normally lie so easily. I could see how someone could, though. Maybe this explained Falyn not saying anything. If she didn’t say anything, that is.

  We unloaded her groceries, chatting about the progress of Vivian’s house. Curtis seemed very happy when the beer appeared and oblivious to anything that Falyn might have said when she came home. She could have walked off whatever upset her enough to leave the grocery store. That thought made me feel slightly better.

  After setting the last of her vegetables into the crispers, I wasn’t sure if I should be here. I almost didn’t want to know if what Cherise said was true. I wanted to go back to believing that my friend had told me everything important about herself.

  Falyn arrived home before I made up my mind. She set her toolbox in the mudroom. When she looked up and saw me, she froze for a second and her face fell. I hated myself for making her feel whatever regret she was feeling right now.

  “Hi,” I greeted. “I brought the groceries.”

  She blinked, frowning for a second. “You didn’t have to do that. Here, let me get you some money.”


  “That’s okay.”

  Her eyes narrowed, either suspicious or angry, but she got over whatever it was and disappeared into her bedroom for her wallet. I hadn’t come over here to get paid for groceries. She needed them, and they were already in my cart. I just had to load them and deliver.

  She surfaced with three twenties and stuffed them into my hand. It was about a dollar more than what I’d paid for her share. I wondered if it was a guess or if she really kept a running tab on everything she added to the cart. “Thank you for bringing them over.”

  I tried to catch her eye, but she was busying herself with checking the refrigerator. “Falyn, please.”

  Her shoulders tensed as she turned to face me. A look of resignation accompanied her stiff shoulders and tightly strung movements. Her gaze flicked to Curtis in the living room. He seemed caught up in a TV show, but I could tell he was aware of us. She tipped her head toward the sliders.

  I followed and took my usual seat. Her eyes glanced toward the street then over at Spence and Mei’s driveway. Almost like she was expecting someone to appear and interrupt us. Her cats followed us onto the porch before she could close the door. The skinny one, Dancer, bounded onto my lap while Tusk wound around her chair and settled against her feet.

  Falyn appeared to be waiting for me to speak as she watched Dancer and the street. She reached for a pencil on the chair arm and started rolling it between her fingers. The gesture made it clear she was craving a cigarette. I felt bad for being the impetus to her quitting. If any conversation needed a stress reliever, this would be the one.

  “Is what Cherise said true?”

  Her eyes showed momentary surprise. “At least you’re giving me the benefit of the doubt. I appreciate that.”

  “I always give my friends the benefit of the doubt.” I didn’t understand people who didn’t. It was the main job of being a friend.

  “Cherise is your friend.”

  “No, she isn’t. We’re friendly but not friends.” I made sure I caught her gaze. “She was saying some pretty heavy stuff.”

  She reached down and picked up Tusk. As a delaying tactic it worked well. Tusk took her time winding around Falyn’s lap to find a comfy spot.

  The wait got to me. “Was any of it true?”

  “You already know the police were here.”

  “Yes, but it doesn’t mean what she said was true.” I sighed. She wasn’t making this easy. I scratched behind Dancer’s ears for something to do. “Just tell me. Were you in prison?”

  She met my gaze head on. “Yes.”

  “For how long?”

  “Five years, one month, six days.”

  Jesus. It was true. That she knew to the exact day made my heart ache even more. “For what?”

  “Burglary.”

  So far Cherise hadn’t lied. I’d never met anyone who’d been to jail, let alone prison. This was unbelievable. She’d been to prison and stayed there for five years.

  “Like people or homes?” I forced myself to continue. Part of me didn’t want to know. Part of me wished she’d lie to me because I couldn’t get my brain around this.

  “Robbery refers to people. Burglary is of a premises.”

  I didn’t ask for a legal lesson, dammit. Why couldn’t she just tell me everything? I didn’t want to be made to feel like I was in the wrong here. “So, homes?”

  “Yes.”

  “How many?”

  “Twelve.”

  “You stole from twelve homes and went to prison for five years because of it?”

  “Something like that.”

  “Something like that?” I jerked forward, forgetting that I’d jostle Dancer out of my lap. “Now’s not the time to be flippant.”

  She took a deep breath and released it. Tusk jumped off her lap and joined Dancer at the sliders. She stretched over to let them back into the house. “Do I look flippant?”

  No, she didn’t. She looked sullen and hurt. I felt the same way. How could she not tell me this? I reached out and laid my hand on her arm. I needed this connection. She didn’t rip her arm away, which was a good sign.

  “So what does ‘something like that’ mean?”

  Her mouth opened then shut, swallowing roughly. Her eyes grew watery. “It means that I stole from twelve homes, but the police only knew about eight before the statute ran out on the others. It means that I was sentenced to eight years, but I got time off for good behavior and paroled for two years, so I spent a little over five years in prison. It means that once I got out of prison, trying to find a place to live or a job wasn’t much easier than just staying in to serve the full term.”

  Every statement she listed made my stomach hurt more, but I still had to know. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  She let out a disgusted snort. “Because I didn’t want you to think the way you now think of me.”

  How was I thinking of her? I wasn’t even sure. How could she be? “You didn’t think I’d want to know?” My throat went dry. “We’ve been close friends for months now, and you’ve been lying this whole time.”

  “I didn’t lie.”

  I swiped my hand through the air. “Technicality. You could have said something when the police came by.”

  She shook her head and blinked hard, causing a tear to spring from the corner of one eye. Her hand swiped it away instantly. “What would I have said? These guys are accusing me of doing something I’ve never done before because I once did something similar?”

  “No, but you could have said that they were hassling you because of your record.”

  “And that would have solved what for you?”

  God, she was frustrating. I expected, I don’t know, pleading? At least something that showed she was sorry she hadn’t said anything. “I just can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”

  “Be realistic. How would that have gone? ‘Nice to meet you, Molly. I was in prison for five years.’ Would you have hung out with me if you’d known from the beginning?”

  She had me there. I honestly didn’t know how I would have reacted. Would I have given her a fair shake? I would like to think I wouldn’t have prejudged her, but I probably would have. Prison wasn’t like finding out a friend had an arrest for pot possession in college. This was a big deal.

  I tried swallowing the lump in my throat. A second tear raced down her cheek. I felt my eyes well up in sympathy. “Natalie knows?”

  “Of course.” Falyn raked a hand through her hair before letting it drop to her thigh with a slap. “Even if she hadn’t known me when it happened, I would have told her. I wouldn’t put her business in jeopardy. It’s something I have to list on the application for my electrician’s license anyway.”

  “So some random people at the electrical licensing board know about you, but you don’t tell the person you hang out with the most?” I knew I was bordering on petulant, but so many things were bugging me right now.

  She flicked resigned eyes at me again. “That’s right. Strangers know more about me than you do, Molly.”

  Her voice dripped with sarcasm, but I wouldn’t relent. “It feels like it.”

  “But it’s not true.” She shook her head and sighed. “The way I am now isn’t how I was before I went inside. I was consumed with materialistic shit, keeping up appearances, trying to please my money-hungry girlfriend, and basically an ass to a lot of my clients because they thought they could disrespect me. I’m not that person anymore.”

  She certainly wasn’t. Other than her car, bike, and tiny TV, she didn’t have much in the way of possessions. She didn’t even have an iPod or a computer of any kind. She was fine with listening to the radio in her car and never talked about wasting time on the internet. She didn’t care about trendy styles, and she seemed to stretch every minute out of her off time. Most of all, she didn’t have a money-hungry girlfriend. At least I assumed she didn’t.

  “Did you do it for your girlfriend?”

  She studied me for a full minute. The tears were gone. Despondency was
all that remained. “I’d love to say yes, but I made the mistake. I let myself get caught up in what she wanted and what her friends had. Every time I went out on a job, I’d deal with these assholes who had so much expensive crap and no regard for a worker like me who made it possible for them to enjoy all that crap. I convinced myself that I was doling out justice. Assholes shouldn’t have what they had. I was there to help in that process.” She snorted derisively. “I was wrong. I was the asshole. I was the bad person.” She sounded so heartbroken. So sorry. Like she wished she could go back in time and undo everything, even if it meant a harder life for her.

  “I don’t think you’re a bad person.”

  Her hazel eyes flicked over to meet mine. “You didn’t know me then. You know someone else entirely, and that’s why I never told you. There’s no good way and no good time to say, ‘I was a callous shithead, who did so much wrong.’ Not to someone who’s become so important. I didn’t want you to know that I was ever that kind of person. I’m sorry if hearing this now changes how you feel about our friendship. I never wanted that.”

  I shook my confused head. Too many thoughts muddled my feelings. I couldn’t get a handle on how to deal with this. It wasn’t like she’d changed from two hours ago. She was still the same Falyn who called me the other night because she knew I wasn’t looking forward to dealing with my lousy tour group on their second day. She was still the woman who listened to me blather on and on about those jerks without once interrupting me.

  And then she wasn’t. She was the woman who’d been my friend for months and somehow managed not to tell me about something that consumed more than seven years of her life. I just couldn’t reconcile that.

  “Does Vivian know?”

  “I assume so. I never told her, but I’m sure Natalie has.”

  “What about the guys on your crew?”

  She shrugged. “I didn’t tell them.”

  That meant I could at least talk to Vivian. Why she hadn’t told me, especially after she knew I’d slept with Falyn, I didn’t know. If I’d found out something mind-blowing about Natalie, I sure as hell would have told her.