Sabs scoffs. “You’re forgetting about the time I walked into the office after you both?—”
Kady’s cheeks turn pink as Faye strolls back in. “What’ve I missed?”
“Nothing,” Kady snaps and checks her watch. “We better head off if we want to catch the next bus.”
“This trip couldn’t have come at a better time.” Faye claps her hands. “Cole has everyone doing a deep-clean of the house and cars. Frank used to do all of that.”
“I miss Frank.” Sabs sighs wistfully. “Although I’m pleased that he and Betty are having an amazing time in Clover Hollow. How are they both doing?”
“Gram sent me this yesterday.” Faye grins as she shows us a picture. It’s a little blurry, presumably from Betty not holding the phone still, but I can see him reclining on a porch with a green face mask on. “Frank’s been product testing, apparently. Although he did have a slight reaction to burdock.” Her face turns somber. “Nothing that aloe couldn’t cure, thankfully.”
Sabs snorts as Kady bustles around us, handing each of us boxes stuffed with baked goods. It’s not until I see my friends with their arms sagging under the weight of it all that I realize how much I made this morning. And this isn’t even all of it.
Margie’s eyes light up when she sees the four of us tottering down the street. “By any chance, is some of your famous cinnamon banana bread in any of those, Delilah?” She smacks her lips together. “I’ve heard amazing things about it!”
“Yep, it’s some good stuff,” Sabs replies. “I swear, she puts crack in them, they’re so addictive.”
At Margie’s raised eyebrows, Kady nudges her sharply in the ribs. “She’s joking. Obviously, they’re all drug-free, Margie.”
“There are all sorts of goodies in these, including banana bread. Eat as much as you like.” I smile at her as I hand her the boxes I’ve been carrying. “If there’s anything else you’d like more of, just let me know.”
“That reminds me! Wait a sec.” Margie turns her back on us, fussing around inside her security kiosk. “I have something for you, Delilah. Someone came to hand-deliver you a letter this morning. Ah, here it is!” She holds up an envelope. “It was a strange boy. He had weird glasses, and his scarf was bundled up to cover his face, so I could hardly hear what he was saying. But don’t worry, I got one of the security dogs out to sniff it, and it’s clear.”
My blood runs cold, Kady’s posture stiffening at my side while Faye slips her arm through mine.
I take it from her warily. “Thanks.”
Although it’s only paper, after a year-long heartbreak, it feels as heavy as a brick.
“One final thing.” She hands us each a can of pepper sprays. “I got a new delivery of these. Make sure you keep these in your bags. You can never be too careful these days. The ones we had before weren’t strong enough, in my opinion, so I may have added in some extra chili oil for added impact.” She winks. “Apparently, it’s an extra potent scent that alphas hate. Now have a good day, girls! Be safe!”
After unloading all of our boxes on Margie, each of us armed with our special pepper spray, we continue onward to get the bus.
“It’s obviously from Jagger.” Kady’s lip curls as I turn the envelope over in my hands like it’s about to burst into flames. “Who else would show up wearing a disguise?”
“Should I…” I gulp. “Open it?”
“That’s up to you,” Faye responds. “Do you want to see what’s inside?”
My heart thuds. After Jagger blocked me on social media, I didn’t make any more attempts to reach out to him. Sometimes I wished for some kind of contact. A letter. An explanation. Is that what I was finally going to get?
“I can’t believe he’s sneaking around on campus with a disguise,” Kady huffs. “Pathetic.”
“I’d tear it into pieces,” Sabs grunts. “Or burn it.”
“If it were me, I’d probably want to see what was inside,” Faye murmurs quietly. “I sometimes prefer not to live with thewhat ifs.”
“I think you’re right.” I tear open the envelope, wincing at the noise.
I’ve come this far. I can’t stop now.
I don’t know what I expected. A long apology scrawled or typed out over many pages, maybe? What I didn’t expect to find when I shook the envelope were four glossy tickets with a brief note:
I’d love to see you there. J
“Tickets?” Kady rages. “Is he for real right now?”
I peer into the envelope, half-expecting to see more in there, but nothing.
