Page 58

I stopped to text Rhiannon.

I’m in.

Now the rest was all her.

14

RHIANNON

THE RESIDENTIAL HOME’S MAIN floor was full of windows. I could see Matty from the car the whole time he was at the front desk, right up until he walked through the double doors of their rec room.

This had to work. This had to.

I’d probably never find Tate again. He’d get kicked out of here eventually and every time he moved, there was a chance he’d lose Christmas or give her away or just dump her somewhere.

This was my only chance.

I watched people start filtering into the rec room using walkers and wheelchairs. I sat in the passenger seat, chewing on the side of my thumb. I couldn’t tell from here whether any of them were the old woman I’d met almost a year ago.

At five minutes to showtime, I texted Laci to text Tate. Five minutes after that, my ex-boyfriend came out the automatic doors.

I hadn’t seen him in months and there was a moment where I wondered if I was seeing him at all.

Because he was bald.

Not in a he-shaved-his-hair kind of way, but in a receding-hairline, Golem kind of way. I gawked at him as he crossed the parking lot. I know I should have been hiding, ducking down in my seat, but I couldn’t avert my eyes.

No way the Etsy witch thing actually worked.

I needed to get that girl’s number.

He got to his crappy car and took a beanie out of his pocket and pulled it on. Only then did I slump down into my seat. I peeked out a moment later just to make sure he’d driven off.

Laci texted.

I told him to meet me at a restaurant twenty minutes from here and that I was paying, so he’s definitely coming. You’ve got an hour.

I unbuckled my seat belt and got to work.

I came into the lobby to the sound of festive saxophone music. And then I hit my first roadblock. The woman behind the check-in counter. I figured confidence was best. “Hi,” I said, walking past. “I know where I’m going.”

“Miss? I’m gonna need you to sign in,” she said.

“Just dropping something off.” I kept walking.

“Miss!”

I stopped and took a steadying breath before turning around.

“Who are you here to see?” she asked impatiently.

Who was I here to see? Tate’s nonna? He’d introduced her as Nonna. I didn’t know her real name. I didn’t even know what room number she was in. I knew where it was located but not the number itself.

“I’m just dropping off a gift,” I said.

“Yes, for whom?”

I swallowed. “Nonna?”