“Jesus.” I shivered and hugged myself in my thin sweater. It smelled faintly of Orion’s cologne, left over from his jacket. When I’d felt warm and safe—
Stop.
“Give you a ride home?” Dean said.
“I’m parked at the lighthouse.”
“Right-o.”
He drove me back to the beach—the last place I wanted to go—but there was no sign of Orion, thankfully.
Because he took Elowen home.
This whole night was a shit show that desperately needed to end. I drove home, ready to crawl into bed and dive into sleep. Instead, I opened the door and caught Dash as he flew at me. He wrapped his little arms around my waist and burst into tears.
“Whoa, buddy, what’s going on?” I cried. “What happened?”
“I was scared,” he said.
I glanced around the living room. The couch was empty. The clock on the microwave said it was nearly eleven.
“Where’s Mom?” I asked. “What are you doing up so late?”
“She got a call to go to work,” Dash said against my middle.
My stomach tightened, stealing my breath. “And she left you here by yourself?”
I fumbled in my small purse for my phone to see if Mom had tried to call me to come home. Nothing. I squatted down so I was eye level with Dash. He looked so small and innocent in his dinosaur PJ’s, his hair sticking up in the back.
“I don’t understand. Tell me exactly what happened.”
He rubbed his eye with the heel of his hand. “She said she didn’t have a choice, and she was sorry. I should just watch a movie, and not cook anything or eat anything so I wouldn’t choke. She said she’d be home soon, and it’d be okay.”
Oh my fucking God…
“Why didn’t she call me so I could come home?”
“She said she didn’t want to ruin your night.” Dash sniffled. “Are you mad?”
“Not at you, buddy,” I said, trying my damnedest to keep my voice even. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“No, I just got scared of being by myself in the new house.”
“I’ll bet,” I said. “Come on.”
I walked Dash up to his room, tucked him in and turned on hisFinding Nemonightlight. A blue-and-yellow glow filled the room as it slowly rotated, projecting Dory, Nemo, and Crush on the wall.
“Will you sit with me until I fall asleep, Harper?”
“Of course I will. Of course.”
It didn’t take long. He was so tired, probably from being scared all damn night.
I stayed with him until I was sure he was deeply under, then I went downstairs and sat on the couch to wait. Thirty minutes later, my mother walked in the door, dumping her linen bag of cleaning supplies by the front closet.
“Oh, Harper, good. You’re home. Is Dash asleep?”
“What the fuck were you thinking?” I hissed in a stage whisper.
