“The tree,” Lewis reminds me.
The tree is the last thing on my scrambled mind, but he’s right. “You won’t be able to get home, honey. Listen…there’s a tree in the middle of the road.” I lower the phone, talking to Conrad and Benji. “Is there a hotel in town? Our daughter is stuck there.”
“No hotel, but there’s an old bed and breakfast on the square,” Benji tells us. “Aranka’s a friend of ours. I can call her and ask her to get a room ready.”
I put a hand on his shoulder. “Thank you.” With that, I relay the message to Taylor, telling her to get there and stay safe while we wait out the storm. Then I call Mom.
“You lied to me.”
“What are you talking about?”At least she answered this time.
“Taylor isn’t with you. She’s here. In town.”
Mom chuckles under her breath. “You’re losing it. I don’t have time for whatever sort of game you’re playing tonight, Corinne. I’m old and tired.”
“Cut the crap. Why would you lie to me? Do you have any idea what I’ve been going through tonight? You’re a mother. You have to know how scary this is for me.”
“Stop.” But now my mom’s voice doesn’t sound annoyed. She sounds…worried. Her words come slow, measured. “Taylor is right here. I’m…I’m looking at her.”
My breathing catches in my throat. “Impossible. Let me talk to her.”
“She doesn’t want to talk.”
“Mom—”
Lewis takes the phone away from me, putting it on speaker. “Billie, it’s Lewis. Look, tonight has been weird, and we just want to hear from our daughter. If she’s with you, please put her on the phone. We just want to know that she’s there.”
She sighs. “Well, hang on a second.”
Then, after several seconds of excruciating silence, she’s there. Impossible, but true. “Dad?”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
CORINNE WILDE - PRESENT DAY
“Taylor, is that you?” I demand, pulling the phone closer to me.
“Um, yes. What do you want?”
“Are you at your grandmother’s?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Because…” Where do I even begin? “Because I just spoke to you and you said you were here. In town.” I feel like I’m losing my mind. Slowly, Conrad pulls into the driveway and eases up to the cabin. The lights inside are still on, and I hear a strange sort of squeal…“Is someone screaming?”
“What?” Greta sits straighter beside me.
“The tea.” Lewis jumps out of the car and rushes inside in a flash.
Moments later, it stops and the pounding in my head ratchets down a notch. I’d forgotten he put tea on before we left.
“Taylor…” I don’t even know what to say. I don’t know what to do to make sense of this new reality I find myself in. How can she be in two different places? Why would she be lying if she’s not? Is this some sort of punishment, the two of them consorting to make me confused? Mom might be angry enough at me, but why would Taylor be?
I guess the answer is obvious, but this feels particularly cruel.
“Okay, honey. Just be safe, okay? I’ll call you soon.”
Together, Conrad and Lewis help Greta into the house, her arms slung around their shoulders, and Benji directs them to the couch where he begins to look her over. I wet a hand towel with warm water and bring it to him, along with a bottle of rubbing alcohol to clean her wound. “Sorry. I don’t have peroxide.”
