“If I know Harlow, she’ll give you a second chance. But you gotta wait for it to be on her terms, not yours.”
I sigh, knowing she’s right.
Noah helps me clean up the kitchen and when my phone rings, and I see Delilah’s name on the screen, I hold it up and show them.
“Oh, shit. Put it on speaker! I wanna hear her chew your ass out.” Wilder grins.
I roll my eyes, connecting the call. “Hey, Delilah.”
“Waylon, have you seen Harlow?” Her frantic voice has me sitting upright.
“No, I haven’t in three days and she hasn’t reached out yet. Why?”
“Dad’s in the hospital. I called her at work to come right away and she hasn’t shown up. She’s not answerin’ my calls or texts now either. When I called her job, they said she left over an hour ago.”
“Oh my God. Is your Dad gonna be okay? Any idea where Harlow would go?”
“He’s not in good shape. Mom found him unconscious after he went to lie down and he hasn’t woken up. She found severalempty pill bottles and called 911. But Harlow shoulda been here over a half an hour ago.”
“Oh, shit.” I scrub a hand down my face, sweating with nerves. “I’ll drive into town and see if I can find her.”
“Thanks, lemme know if you hear from her, please.”
“I will. And keep me updated if she shows up.”
Delilah agrees and then we hang up.
“I gotta go.” I rush to grab my keys but then Wilder pulls out his.
“You’re a mess. I’ll drive.”
“Drive safe! Text me if you need me to do anything,” Noah calls as we rush out the door.
“I have a bad feelin’ about this,” I tell Wilder as he guns it down the gravel driveway. “She’d go right to the hospital or at least keep her sister update on where she is.”
“We’re gonna find her,” Wilder tries to reassure me but my stomach’s in knots.
Wilder gets us into town in twelve minutes and then goes downtown.
“Drive behind the building,” I tell him. “That’s where most of the employees park.”
“There’s her truck!” I point toward it so he knows where to go.
As soon as we get close enough, I jump out and look inside. The door’s locked and her bag isn’t inside.
“I’m gonna go into the store and double-check if she’s still here,” I tell Wilder.
“I’ll come with you,” he says, turning off the engine.
When we walk inside, I find her manager, Ashley.
“Waylon! Wilder! Oh my gosh. Hey!” Her eyes light up in a way that creeps me out.
“Is Harlow here?”
“No. She had a family emergency.”
“Her truck’s still in the parking lot, so she didn’t leave.”
