“What?”
“There was a boy. At the creek.” Margot frowns. “He was right next to you,” she insists.
Heat rushes up my cheeks.
“You’ve been through a lot tonight. You should get some rest.” I pat her hand.
“I know what I saw,” Margot snaps. She stops. Softens. “I’m sorry. I know you’re probably right. But it felt so real. First the voice, and then that boy—”
“There’s my girl,” my mother’s voice calls from the doorway.
I push to my feet and give Margot’s hand a final squeeze before heading for the door to give the two a moment of privacy. In the hallway, Aunt Paige is sitting on one of the chairs, two cups of coffee in her hands. She gives one to me wordlessly as I sit down beside her.
“Is this—” I start.
Paige says, “Americano,” then takes a sip of her own coffee. “Don’t worry. I wouldn’t dare give you anything with flavor.”
“Thanks,” I say, and take a long sip.
Paige sticks her cup between her thighs and bumps my shoulder with hers. The clock halfway down the hall tells me we’re nearing four in the morning.
“You doing okay, kid?” she asks.
I wave my bandaged hands. It’s a little difficult to hold my coffee with the gauze, but I make do.
“You know that’s not what I’m talking about.”
I lean back. The chair creaks in protest. “Please tell me we’re closing the store tomorrow,” I say. “I don’t think I can be presentable in five hours.”
Paige lets out a humorless laugh. She shakes her head. “You put so much effort into convincing everyone that you’re okay. But it’s okay if you’re not. It’s actually normal.” She sounds much younger, like the armor she’s picked up over the years momentarily slips. “You’ve had a hell of a year, Jo. You’re allowed to be thrown by all of this.”
Tears burn the backs of my eyes, and when blinking doesn’tforce them away, I wipe them off my cheeks. “I thought I’d lost her, too,” I whisper.
Paige reaches for me, pulling me into her arms and rubbing my back. She ducks her chin against my head. I stop fighting the tears as they roll down my cheeks.
“You’re the reason Margot is alive. Right now, everything is okay, and we’re all safe.”
I open my mouth to protest, and it’s as if Paige knows what’s coming, because she continues, “And I know I can’t speak for tomorrow, or next week or next month. But right now, it’s okay. Let that be enough.”
I close my eyes. Another tear slips down my cheek, and I let it fall. “Okay,” I say.
Twenty-Two
By the time Paige, Jasper,and I get back home, dawn bleeds through the trees, a new day threatening to overtake us while I’m still reeling from the last one.
Mom said the doctors will most likely discharge Margot before the end of the day. She might even be home in time for dinner.
Paige hoists a sleeping Jasper into her arms. He’s a little too old and tall to be carried inside like this, but when he peeks at me through slitted eyes over Paige’s shoulder, I don’t give him away. I miss being small enough to let someone else carry everything heavy.
Paige brings Jasper up to his bedroom on the third floor. Without Margot here, the second floor is empty. But it doesn’t feel empty. The familiar sensation of being watched traces over the back of my neck like someone’s cold fingers. It feels like Ingrid.
As I push through my bedroom door, I go for the lamp first, flicking it on. The specks of sunrise poking through the window bathe the room in a cool, pale yellow light.
I open my mouth to call for Finn, but to my surprise, he’s sitting cross-legged on my bed when I turn the lights on.
“Oh, Jesus—” I curse, a hand flying up to my chest.
Finn throws his hands up in surrender.“Sorry, sorry. I heard the car pull up and wasn’t sure the best way to not freak you out…”He trails off at the expression on my face. “Is Margot okay?” he asks.
