She was sitting on a rusted swing set in front of a run-down apartment complex, her blonde hair whipping in the wind. She looked so much like Faye.
My heart clenched.
I turned my bike around, pulling up right in front of the swings. As I hopped off, placing my helmet on the seat, she barely acknowledged me, staring down at the gravel beneath her feet, nudging it softly with her shoe every time she swung forward.
I didn’t want to startle her, so I kept my voice gentle.
“Hey, Faye.”
Her head snapped up, her pale blue eyes locking onto mine, full of something I couldn’t quite name. Hope? Fear?
She frowned. “Hey.” Her voice was small, defeated.
“What are you doing out here all by yourself?”
She hesitated before answering. “Waiting for my mommy to come back.”
Something cold settled in my stomach.
“You are?” I crouched down a little to meet her eyes. “Where did she go?”
Faye shifted slightly on the swing, gripping the chains a little tighter. “She said she was going to the gas station to get something and told me to wait here until she got back.”
I swallowed hard. My mind raced back to the gas station. I’d been inside for a while—used the bathroom, grabbed a drink. The only people there were an older lady and a couple of guys fueling up their trucks. No woman who could’ve been Faye’s mom.
“How long ago was that?” I asked, keeping my voice light and careful.
Faye shrugged. “I don’t know. We came out here to play after breakfast, and then she left.”
My breath caught in my throat. It was almost three in the afternoon.
She had been out here for hours.
I forced down the wave of panic rising in my chest, keeping my voice steady. “So, a long time, huh?”
She nodded, her little legs barely swinging now.
I crouched down beside her. “Faye, how about this—you come with me, we’ll grab something to eat, and then I’ll take you to the lake house. You shouldn’t be out here alone, sweetheart. It’s not safe.”
Her little face hardened, her blue eyes darkening with anger. “No. My mommy said not to leave this swing until she came back.”
Oh God.
I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t leave her here, but I also couldn’t be the one to tell her that her mother wasn’t coming back.
“You have to be hungry,” I tried again. “How about we just go get something quick, and I promise we’ll come right back?”
“No!” Her voice rose, her hands gripping the chains of the swing even tighter. “I’m not leaving with you. I want my mommy.”
Me too, kid.
Something inside me cracked at those words.
Her voice wavered, her little lips trembling as her fists clenched in her lap. “I just want my mommy,” she whispered, and this time, a tear slid down her cheek.
Another one slid down mine.
I exhaled shakily, pushing down the lump in my throat. “Okay.” I paused, gathering myself. “Would it be okay if I wait with you? Just so you’re not alone?”
