“Thank you, Professor Fox. I really appreciate you thinking of me.”
“My pleasure. I hope you do take us up on it. You’d be a great asset to the team.”
“Thank you.”
As I drive back to Cedar Brook Falls from the University, I try to think about moving away but every time I do, my heart races and sweat forms around my neck. Not wanting to risk a panic attack on the road, I tell myself I’ll think about it later tonight when I’m holding my crystals and have some time to meditate on the idea.
I drive to Jane’s house for dinner. I promised her I would after my exam since I’ve basically hibernated these past couple of weeks studying, even though it was difficult to concentrate.
Charlotte’s car is there, too, and I see Charlie run across the hallway and upstairs to the bedrooms.
“Hello,” I call out as I hang up my book bag. “Anybody home?”
“We’re in here,” calls Jane from the kitchen.
Charlotte and Jane are sharing a glass of wine next to the island. Their heads are close together and it looks as though I’ve interrupted a private conversation.
I stare at them. “What’s going on?”
“Oh, nothing,” says Charlotte a little too casually.
The days are growing warmer, and whatever Jane is cooking has turned the kitchen into a humid sauna, so I pull my hair up into a topknot. “Right,” I say to Charlotte then turn to look at the chef. “Jane?”
Jane sighs. “We were just talking about Casey.”
My heart ticks up but I clear my throat to act more casually than I feel. “Oh. Has he started training?”
“Um… no.”
“Why not? You said he was doing better. That he was ‘up and about’. I believe those were the words you used.” I had forced myself to focus on the fact that he was getting better and not that he hasn’t called me back and it’s been weeks.
Jane sets her wineglass on the counter. “Sage, I have to confess something.” Although, her voice is calm, it’s still foreboding.
“What is it?”
“We told you that because we didn’t want to distract you while you were studying.”
I blink and turn to Charlotte. She looks down at her wine glass.
“What do you mean? I thought Casey was back in L.A. Isn’t he working with a physical therapist?”
Jane shakes her head. “We don’t think so.”
“What do you mean you don’tthinkso?”
“He hasn’t responded to any of our texts or phone calls.”
Her words ignite a fire inside of me fueled by fear. “What?” I roar. “How do you even know he’s alive?”
Panic sets in as I curl my fingers into the palms of my hands and dig my nails into my flesh. The pain grounds me.
“Sage, please sit down. I can tell you’re upset, but he’s all right. Of course, we know he’s alive.”
I don’t move a finger. “How?”
“Austin’s mom sends food to his door through a delivery service, and it’s picked up. He’s reversed the charges so that he pays for it, but she confirms that they’re still delivering. So, we know he’s there and okay.”
I shake my head and pace the kitchen. “You know that he’s alive. You don’t know if he’s eating the food. Or if he is eating, does he go to his doctor’s appointments, is he taking care of his health?”
