“He went to his parents’ house.” That was what he always did. He went there and left me alone to deal with it.
Jack swallowed, looking away. “And you’re okay with that?”
“It’s my problem to deal with. I can handle it.”
He closed his eyes. “Can you do something for me?”
“What?”
“Can you promise to call me next time?” He opened his eyes, searching mine. “I’ll let you handle it if that’s what you want, but I’m worried. Your parents don’t sound very stable. Something could happen, and someone should be there with you in case it does.”
It was hard to take a breath with the lump in my throat. “I almost did call you.”
“I wish you had. Why didn’t you?”
I shrugged, staring at the bubbles in my purple drink. “I thought it was too much to ask.”
“Nope. Not too much. I want you to call.”
The lump faded away. It was like air replaced it, a buoyancy growing inside of me. “Okay.”
“Good.” His smile was back, the crinkles appearing near his eyes.
I didn’t want to look away. “I feel better,” I whispered. The tension in my neck was even gone.
“So you’re all done with the chocolate cake?” Jack asked.
I laughed, picking up my fork. “No, we have to eat it all. Those are the rules of chocolate cake.”
He pushed it closer. “If you say so. You go first.”
I smiled at him around the delicious bite of cake knowing it was him, not the chocolate, that had made everything seem all right.
Chapter 15
The Eighth Friday
It wasn’t quite closing time when Sean walked me to my car, but Jack had seen me losing steam and had encouraged me to go home and rest. It had been a long day.
“You look like you’re doing better,” Sean said, his eyes pausing on my face before scanning the parking lot again. “Jack helped?”
“Yeah,” I admitted, wondering if I should apologize. Sean had noticed I was down, too, and had wanted to help.
“He’s good with stuff like that. I only picked up a bit of it. Just know you can call me, too. For anything.”
“Anything?” I asked, my smile turning a little too bright. “Even if I’m out of chocolate? Or if I stub my toe?”
“Especially then,” Sean said, grinning back as he opened my door. “Did I ever tell you I have a thing for feet?”
“You do not!” I slid into the car.
“I’m not sure about yours yet. Send me a picture of them when you get home.” He winked when my mouth fell open and shut the door.
I was still wondering if he’d been serious when I was only a couple blocks from the house and noticed the car behind me. My neighborhood didn’t usually have much traffic at this time of night. The headlights were bright in my back window, making it impossible to see inside the other car. I frowned at it, my gut giving a hard twist.
I drove past the next turn toward my house, continuing straight until I reached a neighborhood that didn’t end in a dead end. A few more turns, and I’d circled back to the original road where I’d noticed the car. It was still behind me.
The twist in my gut had become an ache, and the hairs on my neck rose. I dragged out my phone, listening to it dial.
