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Lark
Reid stared at me, his head cocked to the side and brow furrowed in confusion.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“I think that’s a question I should be asking you.”
I hadn’t, in fact, been expecting to run into him, though I was technically looking for him. Reid was the first and only person I thought of after I learned that information from Emersyn. I’d left Jojo alone at the shop on my first freaking day because I couldn’t focus. I needed to know more.
“I, um—I’m actually here looking for you.” My statement sounded more like a question.
“Okay?”
I wasn’t sure why my heart was beating so fast, but I blamed it on the lingering adrenaline. It couldn’t be the way the sun reflected in his eyes, making them a striking, vibrant green. “Uh, I needed to talk to you, but I don’t have your number or know where you live now. I was hoping someone here could tell me where to find you.”
The corners of his lips twitched but didn’t quite make it into a smile. He opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, a familiar voice from behind him made my heart clench.
“Who’s there, honey?”
Raleigh, Reid’s mom, peeked over his shoulder curiously. She froze for one short moment, her eyes locking with mine, before she gasped.
“Oh, my goodness!” Raleigh literally elbowed her son out of the way as she stepped forward to pull me into a tight hug. “I cannot believe it. Is that you, Lark?”
I tensed as Raleigh’s arms squeezed me. She smelled like maple syrup and something savory, with a hint of floral underneath. She smelled like comfort, and the sudden assault of her love and her presence had tears springing to my eyes.
“Ma, I don’t think she can breathe,” came Reid’s voice.
Raleigh didn’t let go, though. She held on for a bit longer before releasing me. Her hands lingered on my shoulders as her sharp but bright gaze scanned me. It had been nine years since I saw her, but she looked so much the same. Her dark hair had a few streaks of gray, and maybe some of her fine lines had deepened, but she was as beautiful as I remembered. Raleigh was tall, lean, and strong. She resembled Thea so much that my heart ached.
“Sweet girl,” Raleigh cooed, her face softening as if she sensed my surge of sadness. She touched my cheek, her hands warm and soft. “We have missed you here. Come on in, please. I’m making breakfast.”
She gestured inside and took a half step back, but I didn’t move. My eyes shifted between her and Reid, my feet rooted to the spot. “I’m not sure that I can.”
Reid frowned, then opened his mouth, but Raleigh cut him off before he said a word.
“Don’t be silly. Of course you can. I have more than enough food.”
I bit my lip. “Actually, I can’t stay long because I need to get back to the Flutter Nook.”
“Oh.” Her eyes widened a fraction. “Your mother reopened? Is she feeling better?”
“I’m opening without her, for now. She’s still having some pretty bad headaches and can’t get around too well with her ankle.”
Raleigh’s mouth tightened as she reached for me again, rubbing a hand up and down my arm in a soothing motion. “You came back to help her, huh? She’s lucky to have you.”
My face heated.
“Lark came to speak with me.” Reid stepped out onto the porch and placed a hand on his mother’s shoulder. “I’ll be a few minutes, okay? Go inside and protect my plate of food from that feral little girl.”
Raleigh hesitated, but eventually nodded. “All right,” she said, though worry flashed in her expression. “Well, I’m so happy to see you, Lark. You’ll need to come by again soon for family dinner.”
I nodded, though I had no intention of coming over. Seeing her now, and being hugged by her like that, brought me back to the time before my life changed. Back then, the Ramseys were my second home. Just seeing Raleigh was painful because things would never be the same as they were when Thea was here. It was easier to be away and pretend like that life never existed. It was easier to forget and move on.
Raleigh returned my nod and went back inside. She slowly closed the door behind her, leaving Reid and me alone out on the front porch. I crossed my arms over my chest as a gust of wind ruffled my hair. A few fallen leaves tumbled across the porch at our feet. I hadn’t put my coat on before I dashed out of the shop once Emersyn left. The cold cut right through me, and I shivered.
Reid cleared his throat. “What was so important that you needed to speak with me so urgently?”
I sucked in a lungful of cold air, preparing myself and shifting my focus back to the reason I had come. “You’re the only one I know who might have the information I need.”
