“Okay, bye.”
“Bye,” he said, his voice so damn sweet to hear.
I ended the call and stared at my phone, suddenly weary to my very bones. Today felt like it had lasted forever. Too many things had happened. Henry was still missing and I didn't feel any closer to finding him if I was honest, which sent another wave of emotion through me and had me wanting to curl up into a ball and not face the world anymore. I mean, what more did it want me to give?
I’d opened the back of the frame, so I slid out the photo and looked at Rick. Stupid emotions. When would they calm down? While another tear snaked down my cheek, I ripped the photo in half, keeping the half with Travis on it in my hand and letting the half of the picture with Rick on it float down to the floor with the broken glass. Then, I put the picture of my parents and brother in the unbroken frame and stuck Travis in there, too, arranging it so I could see all of them. They were a little squished but it worked.
After unpacking the groceries from my car and putting what was salvageable away, I went and set the photo of my family on the nightstand, and collapsed on the bed, staring at the photo until sleep claimed me. Those four people meant the world to me, even if two of them were gone from this world. I would not let a third go, not this soon, not before his time, no matter what.
I would save Henry. I had no choice. Not if I wanted to live with myself.
13
Emma
“Wake up.”
I sat bolt upright in bed and slowly turned my head to the window. The sun was low in the sky, glowing in that golden way it did in autumn, and a pretty damn big blackbird perched on the windowsill. It's feathers gleamed in the low light.
And it stared at me, its beady eyes seeing too much as it tilted its head to the side as though it needed to get a better view.
“Hello?” Had I dreamt the call to wake up?
“Wake up,” it croaked.
Nope. Definitely real. “I’m awake,” I whispered.
The bird tilted its head again and let out a normal-sounding caw, then flew away just as my phone vibrated on the bed beside my butt, faintly jiggling the softness of my body that was there. “Oh, shoot,” I muttered and grabbed it. “Hello?”
“I’ve been calling you for like an hour. Did my bird come?” Beth said by way of greeting.
“Sorry! I fell asleep. I’m not sure why my phone is on vibrate.” I put it on speaker, then checked the button on the side. “I must’ve hit the button to switch it to silent mode.” That was a problem with this brand of phone.
“It’s fine, but you don’t have much time. There’s food on its way to you from Deva’s restaurant. Eat it, get ready, and I’ll pick you up at ten.”
“Wait, why? What?”
“We’re going to the club, and my agency is helping you find Henry.” She sounded so proud that it made my heart fill with happiness for her. She had built her agency from nothing. It was her thing and no one could take it from her, especially not cheating ex-partners.
“What about Deva and Carol?”
“Carol’s employee called in sick tonight, so she has to cover the fabric store, and Deva still does a couple dinner shifts a week. She has that fancy chef of hers, so she can have a life, but she still loves the rush of actually running a shift, rather than just baking pies and pastries in the mornings.”
“Oh, okay,” I whispered, already feeling like I should just stay in bed, like my body was going to be angry at me for whatever it was I was about to do. I glanced down at the time and saw how late it was already.
“Isn’t ten a little late?” I felt dumb. Should I have been up earlier?
Beth laughed in my ear, a pure, joyful sound. “Stop acting like such a forty-year-old.” She snorted in amusement.
“Beth, honey, we are forty-year-olds.” And then some.
“Well, I know, but we don’t have to act like it. People are just getting going at ten. It’s kind of early for where we’re going. Just be ready to go.” She wasn't about to back down and I wasn't about to turn down her help.
“Okay,” I said as a twinkling chime filled the air. “Doorbell. Food must be here.”
“See you at ten!”
I hurried to the front door, digging in my purse for some cash for the tip. I only had a few bills, which I hoped would be a decent enough tip for a delivery guy. Then I checked my phone and realized I’d slept all evening and it really wasn’t that far from ten now. I needed to hurry. That long, hot shower I'd been planning to get ready certainly wasn't going to happen. I'd be lucky if I got to eat a few mouthfuls of food and run a comb through my hair.
After an awkward interaction with the delivery driver, I made my way back to the center of the house. Ignoring the mess in the living room that I’d never really cleaned up, I hurried into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water and fork. Then, glancing around, I decided to go out on the back patio and have my dinner there.
Setting it all down on the little table, I glanced at the beach and spotted a young man walking alone. He had a trash bag in one hand and was wearing gloves. Every so often he bent down and grabbed something, then dropped it in the bag. As I watched him, I realized he was cleaning up the beach. Something warm and pleasant moved through me, and I swear I felt a wave rush out of me. He suddenly stiffened and looked
