Page 54

Chapter Nineteen

Addilyn

I fling the covers off my legs and jump out of bed, excited and ready to tell Trey everything. I may still be nervous but I’m ready to make the leap, and I only hope that he’s exactly the man I think he is – the man who would stand by me through anything. I practically skip into the bathroom, humming Brave by Sara Bareilles to myself. Just as I’m turning the water on, my phone rings in the bedroom. I look over at the warm water falling from the showerhead and debate ignoring it for a second before sighing and racing back into my bedroom to answer it.

“Hello?”

“Addy, you have to get to the diner, like, now,” Daisy says on the other end of the line, and I freeze, my heart pounding. Calls like this are never good around here.

“Why? What happened?”

“Just get here.” She hangs up before I can ask anything else, and I pull the phone away from my ear, staring down at it in confusion. What the hell is going on? I snap into action, going back into the bathroom to turn off the shower, and throw my hair up in a bun, all the while worrying about everyone that I care about.

Could she not have given me just a little bit of information? Let me know how serious this is? I mean, should I rush over there or can I drive safely and obey the rules of the road? Once I make sure that everyone is okay, she’s getting hell for this phone call.

I grab some jeans and a tank top, dressing quickly, before grabbing my keys and rushing to the door. I yank it open and stop short when I almost smack into the poor flower delivery girl. Jesus, not again.

“Hi, delivery for Miss Burke,” she says, and I plaster a smile on my face as I sign for them and she hands them to me. After setting them down on the kitchen table, I quickly pull the card out and roll my eyes.

Missing you, sweetheart.

Kyle

My God, this dude needs to get a grip.

Whatever, I’ll deal with it later. I’ve got more important things to think about right now. I rush out the door and race down the stairs to my car, the flowers already forgotten. My mind races on the entire drive over there, and I mentally think of each person I care about and say a little prayer that they are okay. When I finally reach the diner after what feels like hours since Daisy’s call, I jump out of my car and march inside. Emma and Daisy are sitting at our usual table, drinking coffee and laughing.

I think I’m going to kill her.

With rage leading the way, I march across the dining room and stop at the edge of the table, crossing my arms. “What the hell, Daisy?”

She looks up and blinks in shock. “Oh, there you are.”

“When you make a phone call like that, I expect something to be seriously wrong, and instead, I find the two of you sipping coffee and laughing.”

She shrugs, not looking even a little bit sorry. “Sorry. I needed you here, and I knew you’d make up excuses if I didn’t make it sound serious. Now, sit down.”

I plop down in my chair with a huff and nod at Betty for another coffee, only half listening to whatever they are talking about. Betty comes by a moment later with a hot cup of coffee in her hand and sets it down on the table, shooting me a wink that makes me smile a little.

“All right, you got me here, Daisy. Where’s the fire?” I ask, still irritated that I couldn’t at least shower before I met them.

“So, something pretty big happened yesterday, and you two are the first people I wanted to tell,” she says, shooting me a look. I stick my tongue out at her before taking a sip of coffee, feeling a little better.

“Out with it then,” Emma says, looking like she’s literally sitting on the edge of her seat.

“Emma, will you sit back? You’re making me nervous.”

Her head whips to me, and she scowls. “Why?”

“’Cause your center of gravity is all off, and you look like you’re about to fall right out of that chair,” I explain, making my arms into a circle in front of my stomach, and she gasps.

“I am not that big.”

“Yet,” I mutter under my breath, and she glares.

“You’re really bitchy this morning.”

I nod. “Yeah, well that’s what happens when you get a vague, scary phone call from your best friend at seven in the morning and don’t get a shower or coffee. You do realize that everything we’ve been through in the past two years makes me fear the worst from a call like that, right?”