“Sounds good.I’m relieved Nana’s okay.Andie and I will make sure the search gets called off.”
“We appreciate it.”
I ended the call and navigated to the message thread with Maya.
Liam
Hey.I have to go back to Westborough.Talk soon.
No wonder she thought I wasn’t coming back.I really needed to work on my communication skills.
Maya
Well, I hope you’re happy.You almost convinced me that you’re not a completely self-absorbed, ignorant, overgrown man-baby, but guess what?I was right all along.
Ouch!Ignorant, overgrown man-baby?That hurt.
I always knew you would leave, but I thought you’d at least say goodbye first.
I should have known I couldn’t count on you.
Don’t worry.I’ll take care of Nana.
Shit.
It was worse than I had originally thought.She assumed I had left town for good without saying goodbye.And after that happened, Nana disappeared.No wonder she’d been freaking out when I brought Nana home.I needed to fix this.
I launched myself off the couch and ran to Maya’s door.As I raised my hand to knock, a man’s voice drifted through the door.An easy, masculine drawl murmured low enough that I couldn’t make out the words.
I froze.
…She had a guy in there?
What.The.Hell?
forty-two
not the night for Alan Rickman
Maya
AlanRickman’sdeepvoiceflowed from the portable speaker on my nightstand, his recitation of Shakespeare’s sonnets wrapping around me like a warm blanket.But tonight, not even being serenaded by Alan Rickman could calm me.
My heart pounded as I frantically shoved clothes into the open duffel bag on my bed, my pulse so loud in my ears it drowned out the crackling speaker.With an irritated sigh, I turned it off.
I didn’t need to be soothed; I needed urgency.I had to be ready to leave at first light.
With enough money to pay for a ride to the nearest town, I’d be okay for at least a while.Once there, I could catch a bus to … well, anywhere, really.It didn’t matter much where I went, since I wouldn’t have anywhere to live when I got there anyway.
For a fraction of a second, I considered calling my parents and asking if I could crash with them for a few weeks, but I talked myself out of it.I already knew what they would say.They’d made it crystal clear the minute I turned eighteen.They didn’t want me around.
And honestly?I don’t know that I blamed them.I wouldn’t want me around, either.I was no good to anyone.
The image of Nana wandering alone through the snow floated into my brain, so vivid it hurt.A fresh wave of guilt crashed over me, stealing my breath.
Nana needed a proper caregiver.One who wouldn’t let her wander off in the middle of the night.Someone who wouldn’t fail her like I had.
If I stayed, I knew I’d try to convince her to stay in her apartment, and that wasn’t what was best for her.After tonight, we knew it wasn’t safe.It would be better if I removed myself from the situation so she could move into assisted living and get on with the rest of her life.She’d be better off without me around, just like my parents had been.
