The dog spun around and sprinted in the direction she’d gone, taking the corner so fast that bits of grass and dirt sprayed up before he disappeared too. I pressed both hands over my face once they were out of sight, inhaling deeply in an attempt to keep the panic at bay.
Zach had left because of Louis. Perhaps if I’d just told the girls that, they would have understood a little better, but despite everything, I didn’t want to turn their father into a super-villain in their eyes. Plus, after everything he’d put us through this past year, I wouldn’t have been surprised if learning that he was involved just ended up freaking them out more.
When I finally went back inside, I felt strangely heavy, but I put on a brave face and made Amber and Jennifer a late lunch. I called for Lu to come eat, but she scowled at me from the tree line instead.
I only caught glimpses of her throughout the rest of the afternoon, but it was like she was pretending to be a woodland creature and was avoiding civilization on purpose. She’d appearbriefly, either outside or in the house, but disappeared without fail the second she noticed me looking at her.
Jennifer ate but went right back to the pool after. Instead of playing, however, she was just kind of floating around, staring at passing clouds and sighing dramatically every once in a while. Amber lounged beside the pool, watching her but also keeping an eye on Lu from a distance.
“She’s just processing,” she told me at one point. “In her own way, of course, but that’s our Lu.”
“I know. I just wish I could give it to her straight without making it worse.”
Amber let out a soft sigh. “That would’ve been easier, but she likes him, Adeline. I doubt it would’ve mattered much if she knew why he left. Her issue is the fact that he went at all.”
“Fucking Louis.”
Amber raised her hand for a high-five, but I left her hanging and she smacked her own palm before lowering her hand back to her side. “Just give her time. Whether it’s today or tomorrow, he will be back and he’ll come back every time after that too. Eventually, she’ll learn that even though people leave, those who love you will never stay away forever.”
“You’re very wise sometimes.”
She laughed. “I know. People just don’t listen to me often enough. Now relax. Zach is going to kick Louis’s ass in Chicago, Lu is going to come back, and you’re all going to live happily ever after.”
While I was absolutely convinced it wouldn’t be quite that simple, I knew there was a good chance she was right on the Zach and Lu front. By dinner time, however, any vestige of peace I’d found had disappeared and panic was flaring hot and thick through my veins.
“Have you seen Lu?” I asked Jennifer.
She shook her head distractedly, coloring at the island while I cooked. “Nope.”
“Crap. Okay. Stay here. I’ll be back.”
I hadn’t seen her for a while either, so I checked the downstairs rooms again first, but she wasn’t there, so I headed upstairs, then to the backyard, and then to the garage. All empty.
“Lu?” I called again, trying not to let the fear creep into my voice. “Bug?”
She didn’t answer, but Bear suddenly started barking at the front door. Amber glanced up from where she’d been searching down the hall. “Maybe billionaire Batman has returned.”
Hope leapt stupidly into my chest and I raced to the front door, but Amber beat me there, swinging the door open and stepping out. Bear exploded past her like a missile, tearing down the long driveway and disappearing from sight.
“Oh, fantastic,” Amber muttered. “That definitely wasn’t scary.”
Suddenly, I couldn’t breathe properly. Oxygen didn’t reach my lungs no matter how hard I tried to force it, black dots swimming at the edges of my vision as the panic grew so thick, it felt like my blood was turning into sludge.
Amber’s eyes widened as soon as she saw my face. “Okay. Hey. No. Don’t worry yet. We’ll find her.”
“We’ve tried,” I whispered, absolute terror washing over me as it sank in that this might just be real. “I can’t find her, Amber. She’s not here.”
“We haven’t found heryet, but we will.”
“She’s upset and she ran off. We don’t even know when she left the property.” Tears pressed at the backs of my eyes, my hands starting to shake the more I thought about it. “God, we shouldn’t have just left her. We?—”
Amber grabbed my shoulders to get my attention. “I’m going out on foot and taking Jennifer with me.”
Jennifer scrambled upright, obviously alarmed by the tone of our voices. “Is it Lu?”
“I’ll check the house again,” I said over my shoulder, twisting out of her grip and already on the move.
The ranch house suddenly felt enormous. The mere prospect of actually finding her seemed impossible. Every hallway stretched into forever and every room had far too many nooks and even more crannies. All the while, I called Lu’s name, praying that her little head was going to pop up from somewhere.
