I agreed wholeheartedly. "There's no moss growing under her feet, that's for sure. She cleans her room almost daily. I never have to remind her to do her laundry or clean up her bathroom."
"I'm starting to wonder if she might just have a better life down there with you guys than she does up here," my dad said jokingly.
"Well, I am her auntie and all," I said. "It's my job to spoil her."
"Which brings me to the reason for my call. As much as I love to hear your voice, I did actually have a purpose for calling you today."
My stomach clenched painfully, pulling my chest tight in the process. "Oh yeah? What's that?"
"Your sister contacted us," he said slowly.
"Okay..."
"It sounds like she's not looking to come back to her daughter anytime soon. She mentioned terminating her rights."
If I hadn't been on the phone with my dad, a number of expletives would have come from my mouth at that point.
"So what does this mean for Holly if Rachel doesn't come back? Can she terminate her rights?" I whispered. "Legally, I mean."
After we talked for a few minutes, I realized I needed to bring Drew into this sooner rather than later.
"I'll talk to Drew," I said as I moved deeper into the kitchen. "We'll need to figure out what to do if Rachel terminates her rights."
I heard a gasp.
When I turned toward the sound, I saw Holly standing in the kitchen. I didn't have to wonder how much she had heard, judging by the look on her face.
"Holly," I said, reaching for her.
She turned and ran toward the front door. A moment later, I heard it open, then slam shut.
I raced out the door to see if I could stop her, but by the time I got to the yard, she was nowhere to be seen.
"Dad, I'm going to have to let you go. I think Holly overheard the worst part of that conversation."
"Oh no, poor Peanut," he said. "Okay, go ahead and take care of her and we'll continue this conversation later."
"Love you, Dad," I said.
"Love you, too, Pumpkin."
After texting the Sensational Six that I was going to be headed out looking for Holly and if they could please keep an eye out for her, I hopped in my car and pulled out of the garage.At the end of the driveway, I didn't know which way to turn. If I went left, I was headed for the beach. If I went right, I was headed for the shops.
I headed toward the shops, thinking she might want to distract herself with a bit of window shopping (and hopefullyonlywindow shopping). I drove up and down the main drag but didn't see any sight of her.
I pulled into the public parking lot so I could go in and out of some of her favorite stores. I knew that Jenna had just paid her for a week's worth of work, and I thought she might have had some money burning a hole in her pocket.
I checked my phone to see if she had reached out and saw a slew of texts from my friends.
Grace: Oh no, what can we do? I'm home and can come by right now. Just say the word.
Sarah: I'm on my lunch break, but I can head your way after work.
Jenna: Everything seemed fine yesterday when she was here. Did something happen?
Paige: I texted Ben to see if there's anything that he can do. Let me know if I need to head your way and I can help you look for her.
Cat: No sign of her here, but I'll keep my eyes open. Do you need me to shut down the cafe?
