That was a bit rude.
She took a small sip of her coffee, only to flinch. Hot. Good, but hot. If there was one teeny-tiny criticism she had of Mrs. Gerald, it was that she tended to make the coffee on the boiling side.
Her gaze lifted, and she spotted Jesse. He was on the other side of the room talking to Burt, the pizzeria owner she’d been introduced to earlier. But Jesse’s gaze was onher, exactly as it had been every other time she’d looked for him that evening.
Her heart did one of those funny little squeezes. The kind that reminded her of just how lucky she was to have the people she had in her life.
She took another step toward him, only to crash to a stop when a woman cut in front of her. Not just any woman—her mother.
What thehell?
“Mom…what are you doing here? I thought you left.” Well, she’d assumed she’d left after the Airbnb owner had confirmed she’d checked out. Plus, Aspen hadn’t heard from her mother in weeks.
“No, I stayed. I need to talk to you.” The words came out fast. Almost breathless.
“Are you okay?”
Her mother stepped closer. “Aspen—”
“Do you have a black eye?” Oh, God. She did. And it looked fresh.
Her mother’s mouth opened and closed. “I…no, it’s just bags under my eyes from not sleeping well.”
She was lying. And she wasn’t even lying well. Suddenly, a sickening thought hit her. “Mom, was it Dylan? Have you been in communication with him again?”
“Yes.”
Aspen’s jaw dropped. The confirmation came so quickly, it felt like a kick to the stomach. “Yes?”
“I know you’re angry, but—”
“I’m not angry. I’mfurious. I shouldn’t be. I should be used to you disappointing me by now, but for some reason, I’m still not.”
“Iamsorry, but I need to tell—”
“I don’t want you to be sorry. I want you to do better! I need—” She stopped speaking when a wave of dizziness passed over her.
What was that?
Her mother kept talking, but for some reason her words didn’t make sense. They were a blur of sounds that morphed into the noise of the room.
Something was wrong with her. Something was very wrong.
She needed Jesse.
She mumbled something she hoped sounded like, “I need to go,” but everything was so fuzzy she had no idea what came out. Her mother reached for her, but she shrugged off her touch and pushed into the crowd.
Jesse…where was Jesse? Was she moving toward him? She didn’t even know.
Two more steps and an arm slipped around her. Who was that? Her mother? It wasn’t Jesse. The body was softer. Shorter.
She tried to pull away, but her muscles wouldn’t cooperate.
Panic tightened her chest. What was wrong with her?
Her knees started to tremble, like her legs could barely carry her weight, and her eyes shuttered, too heavy to keep open. The arm around her tightened, almost dragging her.
A door opening sounded, then there was wind on her skin.
