“He’s mesmerized by the growing zeros on the GoFundMe for James and Willow,” Cash said.
“Of course.” Charlie threw up her hands. “I swear, he’s more obsessed with money than any other Dupree.”
“Which is ironic since he’s the brokest,” Bowen said.
“The brokest?” Griffin chuckled. “Pretty sure that’s not a word.”
I smiled, happy to see him happy, if even for a few minutes.
“How about broke as a joke?” Maggie offered.
“Broker than a bloker,” Bowen said in a thick southern accent.
“Gas station hot dog broke,” Cash said.
“My friends and I call that broke-chica-wow-wow.” I shimmied my shoulders.
Griffin grinned proudly.
“Broke-sniggity,” Cash rapped.
“Theo!” Charlie stomped her foot. “You’re proving my point. They’re roasting you for your extreme poverty, and you didn’t even notice.”
Theo grunted, still scrolling. “What did I miss?”
She swiped his phone and glared at him. “We’re putting you in rehab. Clearly, you have an addiction.” She dropped the phone into Cash’s pocket. “Do not give that back to him. Do you hear me?”
He brushed his lips over hers. “I love it when you’re bossy.”
“Get a room,” Bowen grumbled. “Can we get this done so I can go home and take off this terriblesuit?”
Maggie went up on her tiptoes and kissed him quickly. “But you’re so hot in that suit.”
He melted. A smirk pulled at his mouth. “I love this suit.” He kissed her back. “It’s my favorite.” And again. “I’ll wear it every single day from now on.”
“Who needs to get a room now?” Griffin said.
When we reached the entrance, Charlie pushed open the old, creaky double doors and sighed. “I love being here when everyone else is gone. It’s so peaceful.”
If you could weigh the love of a single person by the number of flowers sent at their death, Sage was overwhelmingly loved. From lilies to chrysanthemums, the front of the chapel overflowed with blooms of every color. The massive arrangement of David Austin roses, pale pink snapdragons, and white carnations had caught my eye throughout the service. David Austins were my favorite.
Charlie must’ve loved it too, because it’s the one she skipped right up to. “Whoever sent these isloa-ded,” she said, stretching out the word.
I crossed to a wreath of red and white roses.
“Juliette.” Charlie’s voice stopped me. She held up a message card. “Did you know DayGlow sent these?”
I froze.
If they sent those, they knew where I was, why I was here, and with whom.
Don’t act so surprised.You know how they are. For all you know, they got to Fallon, and she snitched. Or Nessa. Or Riley and Briar. They all know you almost took Griffin back to your place. And Fallon knows you went to Zion with him.
Yes, but that’s all they knew. I purposely hadn’t said goodbye. Hadn’t told any of them where I was. Not even Fallon. The guilt ate at me daily—Fallon must’ve been worried sick—but I couldn’t ask her to lie for me again. She was clearly no good at it.
What did you think would happen? That Cecil and the board would shrug and say, “Well, guess she’s gone,” and move on? Stop pretending you didn’t see this coming. Fallon told them about your weekend with Griffin. From there, retracing your steps would’ve been child’s play. Their little surveillance empire could give the CIA classes, and you know it.
As a girl, the dark terrified me. Every little noise became something lurking in the shadows. My solution was to cover myself up to my chin and shove my head under the pillow. If I couldn’t see them, they couldn’t see me. But some of the worst moments of my life had happened in the dead of night.
