No, CC was smarter than that. Which meant she had to be somewhere around here, walking in the dark. I did a 180 and searched the way I came, but no luck.
Frustrated and worried, I gunned the engine and shot toward home, hoping she called an Uber to pick her up.
I sprinted through the front door. “CC?”
Lana bounced into the hallway. “Thought you were at a party?”
“Yeah, I was.” I slowed my breathing, casting a glance up the stairs as if I could see Cotton Candy’s room. “Where’s your sister?”
“She went on a date,” Lana whispered, glancing over her shoulder toward the living area. “Mom was mad at first, but now she seems like she might be happy.”
“So, she hasn’t come home since she went on her…” I didn’t want to saydatebecause it was bullshit. She kissedme. We shared a connection, and I was going to find her and tell her all the things I’d been keeping inside. How she made me feel, how she brightened a room with just a smile, how she understood me like no one else had ever dared.
“Nope.” Lana leaned back to investigate the living room, then turned to me and held a finger to her lips. “Mom’s sleeping.” She pulled out her phone. “We had to watch some stupid show about a woman looking for a husband. Don’t wake her up.” Her attention went to the lit screen in her hand. She started her zombie game and climbed the stairs.
Maybe CC went back to her Jiu Jitsu class.
I quietly opened the front door, slipped outside, and went to my car.
Pushing the vehicle five miles over the speed limit, I reached the gym quickly. The only thing that met my efforts was an empty parking lot and dark building.
Running a hand through my hair, I recalled our conversation. Hadn’t she said they were doing something else, besides the class?
Yeah, going to watch a movie.
And there was only one theater in town.
With a desperate sense of time running out, I sped toward the cinema and parked, pulling up the movie app. There were six different movies playing—two romances, a sci-fi flick, a thriller, and two action flicks.Which one would they be watching?
I checked the start times. The sci-fi flick had started ten minutes ago, so I went with my intuition, purchased the digital ticket, and left the car. After gathering my pass and being directed to theater three, I slipped inside the darkened room.
The movie was in full swing and most of the seats were occupied, so I stood against the wall, squinting at each row.
She’s not in the front.
I walked the steps slowly, still scanning every face, stopping until the light from the screen highlighted features.
“Hey buddy, move your ass,” someone hissed.
Instead of responding, I stepped closer to row F. About halfway down, a girl with curly wild hair sat in a seat.
And next to her? A guy had his arm around her shoulders and his face pushed against her neck, either whispering in her ear or kissing her throat.
Fire burned through my bones. I wanted to tear through the seats until I reached him so I could punch his face.
Terri closed her eyes and leaned her head back, giving him easier access. A smile curved her lips.
I clenched my jaw and jogged down the steps, needing to get out of that darkened room, wishing I’d never tried to track her down. It was an image I’d never be able to wash from my mind.
Cotton Candy—myCotton Candy—in another guy’s arms.
I barely registered the drive home. All I could see was that look of bliss on CCs face. I hit the steering wheel.
No. There’s no way she enjoyed that loser.
After taking several minutes to quiet my beating heart, I exited the car and carefully entered the house.
As I passed the living room, the TV’s light washed over Charlotte’s blanket-wrapped sleeping form. Charles had left earlier for a weekend business trip.
