Not-so-happy. As in her bitchfests. It was Leah’s turn to shrug, the smile fading. “Polite word for adult tantrums.” Excitable did make it sound less immature, though. They weren’t so much tantrums as emotional explosions.
“A sort of miniature reminder of all the things you loved about him. I understand.” Leah spoke from experience. No, Marigold wasn’t the boy she’d been hoping for, and no, Marigold didn’t really have that many of Ben’s physical features, but that didn’t mean the little girl wasn’t a powerful reminder that Leah loved and wouldn’t have traded for the world.
Rae pulled Leah’s attention back to Marigold again. “It does. I’m reminded of him every time I look at her.” She looked at her hands folded on the counter. “She calls Evan Papa now, which, I’m glad she’s accepted him, don’t get me wrong. But it’s sometimes hard, hearing her call someone else a variation of dad.” She felt guilty for admitting that out loud.
“You shouldn’t be in here by yourself at all.” Leah’s tone had a hint of scolding in it now. “Not with the you-know-what still on the loose. I get wanting to put on a brave face and show that you’re not afraid, but you’re more vulnerable than most right now. It’s not right that all your other friends have been leaving you on your own.” And relying on Brandon’s shady friend, no less. “I’m glad I’m here, too. I’m getting so tired of being locked up in our apartment. Doesn’t matter how many different rooms we go to, it still feels like a prison.”
Would Evan consider doing background checks? Leah chewed thoughtfully on her lip. “It might be possible, but then again, it might be more trouble than it’s worth. Hacking into government files every time someone new wants to move here. I might mention it, though.” Not that it really mattered if the government knew about it. They already knew where the rebels had set up residence. Leah blinked, not for the first time wondering how long it would take the government to regroup and come after them again.
The vandalism was getting more and more aggressive as time went on. Leah hadn’t really noticed that until now, likely because the aggression hadn’t been very focused on her or her family. The dollhouse had simply been creepy. “Has anyone who’s reported a creepy present or whatever ever actually been one of the victims? So many things that have been reported is making it hard to keep track, but it seems like all those people making those reports are just being taunted. Maybe it’s a good sign that we’ve gotten things.” Not really good, but… Maybe she was just grasping at straws. Wanting to believe that George and all the people she cared about weren’t targets.