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“I love you, Lark. You know that, right?” She sounded like she had last night—desperate.
I squeezed back. My mother had her flaws, but she was still my mother. She was a little scatter-brained and needed help, but there were times growing up when money was super tight. With no support from the dead father I’d never known, it was just her and me. She had her store, but she also had taken up other part-time jobs to make sure the bills got paid. She’d work at the store during the day and wait tables at night. She had worked hard to take care of me and make sure we had a roof over our head and food in the fridge.
“I know,” I answered. “I love you too.”
After a beat of silence, she sighed and dropped my hand. “Have a good day. Tell Jojo I miss her.”
“Will do.”
I left her room, closing the door quietly behind me.
It was a beautiful fall morning. The sunshine was bright through the windows of the living room as I headed out. I decided that a walk to the shop in the fresh air would help me clear my head.
When I opened the front door, something fluttered across the welcome mat. Frowning, I stared down at a white envelope. I stepped out onto the porch and picked it up. My name was written on the front in black capital letters.
My first thought was that it was from Reid, telling me where he’d gone. But it didn’t look like his handwriting and it didn’t make sense that he’d leave it outside.
Totally confused, I ripped open the envelope. A piece of lined notebook paper was inside. I unfolded it to reveal one word written in the same big, black letters.
LEAVE.
My heart raced, eyes locked onto the word and what it meant. Another threat.
I crumpled it up and stuffed the note in my pocket. I turned on my heel and started to walk.
The walk was supposed to help me clear my mind, but now, I was mad. These vague little threats were more a nuisance than anything else. Reid was helping the best he could, but he had been so busy and Fox was still working on tracing the number that kept texting my phone.
My feet pounded on the concrete sidewalk as I made my way toward Center Street and my mom’s shop.
I was tired of all of this. If someone didn’t want me in Ember Hollow, they could say it to my face or leave me the hell alone.
“What’s wrong?”
Jojo eyed me as she slipped off her jacket and hung it on the hook behind the counter.
Great. Of course she knew there was something wrong. There were many somethings wrong at the moment, but nothing I wanted to burden her with.
I opened my mouth to tell her that I was fine, but she cut me off before I could get a word out.
“And before you try to tell me there ain’t nothing wrong,” she put up a sassy finger and narrowed her eyes, “I know you’d be lying. I don’t want to push, but baby, I’m here to help in whatever way I can. Even if that means simply lending a listening ear.”
Her red lips tipped up in a sad smile, and my heart constricted. Of course she wanted to help, and I loved her for it. This last week or so, I’d enjoyed Jojo’s company at the shop, even with all the craziness going on in my life. She was so funny and sweet, and I had missed her way more than I expected.
I chewed on my bottom lip. I wasn’t going to tell her about the note I’d found; I was going to push that out of my mind. I didn’t have room for it.
But there was one thing I definitely needed to talk about. For so long I’d held everything in, kept all my feelings tucked in close because it was easier that way. Maybe it was finally time to start trying something different.
“Well,” I said hesitantly. I glanced around the shop. We had just opened and no one had come in yet. “I might have kissed someone last night, and I don’t know how I feel about it.”
Jojo’s eyes got so big I thought they might literally fall out of her head. “You—what?” She scurried over to me, her mouth breaking into a giddy smile as she grabbed my hands. “Tell me everything.”
Her reaction was everything I’d thought it would be. Even though my stomach felt queasy opening up about this, I trusted Jojo.
Without getting into too much detail, I told her about my kiss with Reid. I explained that I’d been sad and he comforted me, and how I suddenly found myself kissing him.
Her cheeks reddened as I finished my story, and her expression went all dreamy. “Oh, Lark, honey. You have got it bad, sweet girl.”
I frowned at her. “What do you mean?”
