AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’ll be properly entertained with cocoa, cookies, and Jim Carrey.” Her dad lifted his eyebrows. Mum had been the Jim Carrey fan.
“I think you’d be okay to change the movie,” she whispered, as if Mum could hear her.
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
Arianna laughed and hugged him tight, then hurried out of his house and drove the short distance to hers. She touched up her hair and makeup and changed into a red fitted Carolina Herrera dress and heels, setting her Veronica Beard white wool and cashmere blend coat next to the door.
Maybe too fancy if he was at the military facility, but not if he was at the castle. She wanted to surprise him, so she texted Faith asking if she had seen him at the castle tonight.
Impatiently awaiting her reply, she paced and tapped her fingers against her leg.
Her phone rang.
Brad?
She looked at the phone. Faith. She swiped it on. “Hello?”
“Arianna, do you love Brad?”
“Yes,” she admitted hesitantly. “How did you know?”
“Chad saw you kiss and then slap him after that whole nightmare with the Gifted Genius.”
“Oh.” She supposed that might’ve spread. “Have you seen him tonight?”
“Yes.” Faith paused and then admitted, “I ran into him outside the ballroom. He asked me questions about me and Levi.”
Arianna wondered what Faith was going through right now. If she loved Levi and he was still mourning Annabelle. What a mess. “I’m sorry,” she said hesitantly, not sure where Faith and Levi stood and what the sweet lady knew.
“Me too.”
Faith let out a heavy breath. “Brad kept saying he was sorry and had to go.”
“Go?” Her voice pitched up. She hadn’t even realized until this moment how terrified she was of him taking off again. “Where did he go?”
“I don’t know, but Lieutenant Henson took his shift for him tonight.”
“He’s gone.”
“Yes.”
“How long ago?”
“Oh … a couple hours.”
Her heart thudded dully in her chest. He was sorry and he’d had to ‘go.’ He’d even gotten out of his shift, which wasn’t something she’d think Brad would do. If he’d been coming to her, he would’ve been here an hour and a half ago.
“Thank you.”
“Are you all right?” Faith asked.
“Not really. You?”
“Not really either.”
Arianna had never been a fan of misery loving company. She’d lost her mum to cancer and wouldn’t wish that on anyone. Then Brad had lost his mum the same way, and it had broken her heart. She wanted Faith to be happy. Hopefully she could be. With Levi.
“I’ll pray for you,” Arianna offered.
