The kitchen was so quiet that Prissy could hear the clock on the wall ticking.
Mike was still leaning forward on the table, his hands clasped together, staring at them like they had the right words written on them somewhere.
Prissy waited.
She was good at waiting.
She had waited a long time to tell Mike how she felt about him. She had waited and watched and held everything inside for weeks. So yes, she could wait a little longer for him to figure out how to speak.
But every second that passed made the tight feeling in her chest grow bigger.
"Just say it," she said finally, her voice coming out quieter than she wanted it to. "Whatever it is, just say it."
Mike looked up at her.
"The woman you saw," he began. "Her name is Sola. She means nothing to me. I want you to know that."
Prissy said nothing. She just looked at him steadily, even though something behind her ribs was twisting slowly.
