Chapter 330

Although, if Kat and I had weathered a hurricane, Jess and I had been through the storm and ensuing tsunami. It made me proud of the two of us. We could have given up. We had tried to. Somewhere in the recesses of our hearts, both of which had been closed off too often with one another, we couldn’t let go. When I thought of who Jess had become, and how she would continue to evolve, I swelled up with pride. I truly believed Jess had reached the point where she could harness her wild side and make it work to her benefit.

My thoughts inevitably wandered, then, to Rita. I had come to the strong conclusion that, in many ways, Rita was the glue that held us together. She was the one you didn’t want to cross. She was a natural protector. She was rational to a fault and more grounded than any of us. She knew what she wanted and, most importantly, knew how to stay laser-focused on getting it. Often, that meant guiding us there with motherly kindness and the patience of a saint. But non