Page 110

No.

I press it down again and keep moving.

I stop for gas on the edge of town. Then I'm leaving.

I fill the tank, then go inside. I grab a bottle of water and some snacks I don’t need, pay, and leave.

I climb into my truck and sit there.

My phone is in the cup holder.

I stare at it.

Don't.

I pick it up.

Open Instagram.

Callie's profile appears in my recent searches.

I tap it.

A colored circle surrounds her picture.

My pulse kicks. A new Story.

I open it. Callie's face fills my screen.

She's outside somewhere, bundled in a cream-colored coat, her blonde curls blowing around her face.

She smiles at the camera.

Behind her is a storefront I recognize. The Crooked Spine.

She's less than ten minutes away.

My thumb freezes against the screen.

She turns the camera toward a display of books in the window. “Tell me I don't need more books.”

A second later, she flips the camera back, showing her beautiful face.

“Actually, don't. I don't need that kind of negativity in my life.”

I laugh. A real fucking laugh.

It catches me off guard.

I stare at her.

She looks happy. Living her best life. Not looking for me.

Something twists inside my chest.

I could go there.

I know exactly where she is.