I gulp it down, eyeing Hayley curled up on the couch in the living room. From the inhuman snores, I assume she’s asleep. There’s no sign of Alex or Iris. They probably got fed up sitting next to a revving chainsaw.
By the time I finish my water, some of the tension in my throat and chest has subsided.
Until I hear my dad’s voice, clear as if he were standing in the next room. “Come on, pickle. You can do it. I’m right here. I’m right here with you.”
Every muscle in my body tenses as I move stiffly toward the living room. The home movie still playing on the TV is from some random summer when I was a kid.
Dad’s in the pool out back, cheering me on as I try to swim from one side to the other. He’s careful to stay within arms reach but doesn’t interfere unless he needs to.
I grab the remote and turn the damn thing off.
I may have to stay in town, but I can’t be in this house a moment longer.
Where do I go? The cabin? No. Too many memories there. Plus, I’ll need to stay close by to help with Ella on Monday. My parents owned half this town. Surely there’s an apartment or house or some other place nearby where I can stay.
There’s only one way to find out.
Mom and Dad’s will and list of assets are still sitting on the desk in the office. I flip through the wad of pages until I find what I’m looking for: an old storefront on Main Street with an upstairs apartment.
Perfect.
I throw some shit into a bag and write a quick note letting Hayley know where I’ll be. Then I drag a fuzzy throw over Snoring Beauty and head back upstairs to pack my things. First thing tomorrow, I’m out of here.
CHAPTERSIX
JADE
My yoga instructor,Kayla, catches my eye as I roll up my mat. She makes her way over to me, bringing with her a woody scent of patchouli.Oh no.
“You okay today, Jade?” she asks with an unsure smile. “Your body seems a little out of sorts.” She squints at my shoulders, but that’s not the part of me that’s stretched tight with tension.
It’s the inside of my gut, which knows I was supposed to pay her invoice a few days ago for this month’s classes. But after the pile of bills stamped “overdue” grew babies on my kitchen counter, there was nothing left.
“I’m sorry I haven’t paid for this month yet,” I blurt in response to her question while bundling my mat under my arm. “It might be a week or so late, but I promise it’ll be paid.”
“Oh, don’t worry, lovely.” Her voice is more soothing than the nature soundtrack burbling in the background. “Money is of no consequence; the only wealth is health. But I do offer a variety of payment plans,” she’s quick to add.
I press my lips together, bottling a ridiculous urge to ask Kayla if she would accept payment in the form of groceries like we’re members of the early civilizations trading animal skins for fish. Plus, it’s not like I own the stock at our store. Anything that leaves the shelves has to be accounted for in the books, and Dad would notice if I started giving stuff away.
After getting Kayla’s payment plan details, I slip outside into the early morning breeze on Summercrest Street with my chest knotted up. Yoga is the only thing in the world that can get me out of bed at sunrise, but I’m at a point where I can’t afford the classes anymore. I’m going to have to go back to free online videos in my living room.
The swampy smell of stale beer spills through the ajar door of The Rocking Horse bar as I step past it on my way to the store. Marjorie gives me a wave through the gap, her other arm making fast glides with her backpack vacuum. She used to clean our store every morning until we couldn’t pay her anymore and decided to handle the cleaning ourselves.
Shit, I better motor. I’ve gotta open up in twenty minutes, and it’s probably a dustbin in there.
I round the corner onto Main Street, one hand hooked around my yoga mat and the other digging in my pocket for my keys. I halt at the sight of a tall shape leaning against the brick wall beside the store with his broad back angled away from me and a cell phone pressed to his ear.
What the hell is Hayley’s brother doing here?
He pushes his shoulder into the wall, murmuring into the phone while his fingers reach up to tug at his messy strands of hair.
Dylan shifts around and his eyes snap to mine, holding there. I stand frozen solid as if he’s a bear that’s happened upon my yard, and I can’t get inside the house.
Jade Quinn. Move your ass.
I offer him a confused smile as I fumble with my keys and approach the store’s faded red door beside him. His eyes stay locked to the side of my face.
“I love you.”
