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I hold my breath. How I want that voice to go away forever.
Amalia!
This time Aidan’s voice seems to escape my head. It could’ve almost come from the back room.
“Amber!”
Hearing my present name immediately wakes me up from my daydream.
It’s Jarrod.
“It’s not that cold today, is it?” he comments.
Jarrod’s gaze makes me realize how hard I’m clutching the blanket.
He goes on to say, “Fabric that you ordered but I couldn’t deliver yesterday. And, I found this at the door.” He hands me a transparent box with a red rose in it.
“Thanks.” I smile at the rose. I might just have an excuse to get in touch with Rob today, after all.
“I suppose it went well yesterday, then?”
“It was nice.” I keep myself neutral.
Jarrod winks at me, and as usual, he leaves as quickly as he comes.
I take the rose out of its box and send a text to Rob, not wanting to call him in case he’s in the middle of something—and if he’s asleep, I don’t want to wake him up.
Thanks for the rose.
Minutes later I get a reply.
Who’s this?
My heart recoils. He’s already forgotten about me? I guess he doesn’t know my number, and maybe he doesn’t know Clay has given me his. But his reply clarifies one thing: Rob couldn’t have sent the flower.
Was it Clay? I don’t think so. The guy wanted me to call his big brother—he had no interest in me.
Hair stands up at the back of my neck. Aidan knows I love roses…
I drop the stem.
Has he found me?
8
ROB
Beverly Hills, California
Between caring for Matty, going through our parents’ funerals, and keeping on top of Hartley Marine, my life feels like it’s hanging by a thread.
Matty has been home for almost a month now. I don’t know how Mom did it, but I have to rely on my subscription to the Parenting 101 Group to keep that little rascal fed and taken care of, twenty-four-seven.
My brother still has regular fits because of his anxiety, but so far not as severe as the early days. His left lung is on the mend, although sometimes he gets out of breath because of it. But overall, he’s almost back to his former bouncy self, and today is the day the doctor remove the cast and the stitches from his arm.
“Matty, are you ready?”
The boy didn’t get much sleep last night, and this morning he’s a total grump.
