Something was fucking wrong. I didn’t know how I knew. I just did. Biting my lip, I glanced up at Naomi, who was still happily snipping away the hydrangea bush. Should I tell her?Why did I feel like worrying her was a bad idea? I was feeling protective of her, like I needed to be the grown-up and keep her safe from all the bad things in the world, even though she was nineteen and technically an adult herself.
Glancing down at Cal’s texts, I couldn’t get a grip on the intense feelings of anxiety that were coursing through me.
Ryan:
Can you at least tell me how many days?
He didn’t answer. He didn’t even read it.
Ryan:
Cal?
Nothing.Fuck.
I walked away a few paces and hit the call button, suddenly desperate to hear his voice, but it went straight to voicemail.
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!
Why hadn’t I gotten that Vox guy’s fucking number?
“Ryan? What’s up?” Naomi asked, clueing in that something was wrong.
I bit my lip and contemplated showing her Cal’s messages but thought better of it. Maybe I was overreacting. Naomi said it was normal for him to disappear for a few days at a time. At least he told me he wouldn’t be available.
“Uh, nothing. Just your brother said he’s going to be gone longer than expected. You wanna get your stuff and camp out here while he’s gone? I hate the thought of you hanging out in that townhouse all by yourself.”
Her eyes lit up in excitement. “Really? You wouldn’t mind?”
I smiled at her, surprised at how enthused she was at the idea of hanging out with boring old me.
“Hell yeah. We love having you here.”
She grinned and skipped over to me, throwing her arms around my waist in a big hug.
“I would love that, Ry-guy! I have plans with my friend Stephanie later today to watch the Twilight movies, but I can come over here after she leaves?”
I grinned at her and nodded. “For sure, I can drop you off and pick you up; just text me.”
“Dope! Hey, while I’m staying here, can you teach me how to embalm a body?”
A surprised laugh burst out of me at her request. “That’s going to be ano.”I laughed despite the intense feelings of worry that were still churning in my gut. Much like her brother, Naomi had a way of making me come out of my shell and loosen up.
“Awh, man. How come?”
“If you want to be in the embalming room, I’m going to have to see a degree in mortuary science with your name on it.” I smirked, and she pouted.
“Is that a challenge, Ry-guy? I’m highly competitive.”
I shook my head, still chuckling. “Take it however you want, Gnomes. But for now, no dead bodies for you.”
“Fine,” she sighed, giving me a mischievous smirk. “You’re lucky I’m a slut for flowers. I might even be better at making arrangements than you!”
I burst out laughing again.
A slut for flowers? Who said shit like that?
The Walker family, that’s who. God, she was like a mini Cal.
