At the end of the lane, her brake lights flash. My heart leaps to my throat, my knees bend as I prepare to break into a run.
Her car pushes forward, turns, disappears.
She is gone, my heart her hostage.
CHAPTER 18
AVERY
Camryn called twiceduring my two weeks in Sugar Creek, but I didn’t answer. She texted me after the second call, saying everything was fine and she only wanted to see how things were going. Three days later, after I didn’t respond to her message, she sent a follow up requesting proof of life. I sent her a picture of my foot.
My guess is the foot picture is the reason she’s frowning right now.
Camryn makes certain to hold the frown for another beat, then steps back from her front door. “Come in. I’ll go grab your mail.”
I follow her into her house, Ruby at my feet. I’m shocked Cam didn’t immediately point out my puffy eyes. I’d done my best to keep from crying when I said goodbye to Gabriel. The moment I pulled onto the interstate the floodgates opened and I cried the first hour of my drive. It might not have been goodbye forever, but it was goodbye for now. An open-ended farewell, a sentence ending in ellipses.
Camryn talks as she walks. “We tried to change the chalkboard, but the handwriting was not half as good as yours.”
“Who did it?”
“Dani.” Camryn shoots a warning look over her shoulder. “Don’t tell her I said that. I love that woman, but a calligrapher she is not.”
My sister’s teasing tone is the familiarity I need. Her voice feels like the hug I could really use right now.
“It’s good to hear your voice.” I blink through the moisture forming in my eyes yet again.
“I have been told I sound like a symphony,” Camryn jokes. She opens the back door and Ruby bounds outside.
Cam grabs a tall stack of what is largely junk mail and spins around. Her eyes bulge. “Why are you crying? Please don’t tell me you loved Sugar Creek and didn’t want to come home. I get that it’s a cute town and all, but it’s a hike to get there and I don’t like driving.”
Her rambling forces a smile into my upset. “That’s not why I’m crying.”
She hands off the mail to me and crosses her arms over her chest. “You saw Gabriel, didn’t you?”
I nod.
“You banged him, didn’t you?”
I give her a withering look.
She returns it. “Make love,” she says, adding air quotes.
I snort a laugh. “I missed you.”
“So? Is that what happened?”
I nod again. I open my mouth but she holds up a warning hand. “I don’t want details.”
“I wasn’t going to give them to you.”
“Good. What were you going to say?”
“That it was amazing. Just like before. Maybe better.”
“The sex? Or everything?”
I sigh, glancing down at the small mountain of mail in my arms. “Everything.”
