D: Awesome
J: Meet in June Lake at 8:30?
C: Thank god. I need out of this hell hole—cottage
G: I’m ready! To be near anyone that didn’t share a womb with.
I fight the smile all the way back to the table, ecstatic to get out of the house and be with my boys. We’ve all needed a break, and letting loose at the Woolly Drop seems like the perfect place to do it.
Since Leelee is spending the evening with Tom, she lets me borrow her car, with explicit instructions not to drive anywhere father than Claire’s house. I also had approval to sleep over at her house so that I wasn’t driving back up the mountain so late at night.
When I arrive at Claire’s, she meets me in the doorway. A curvy girl stands behind her—looking like the polar opposite of my friend. She has short black hair and warm brown skin. There’s not a trace of the dark makeup or clothing Claire tends to wear, but skinny jeans and Converse.
“This is Nora,” Claire says, introducing us.
“Hi, I’m Starlee.” We shake hands. And she admires my outfit. “I like those boots.”
I look down at my fleece-lined shoes. “I learned the hard way about not being prepared for cold weather.”
“Functional and cute,” she says. “I like it.”
The sound of a vehicle in the driveway makes us turn, and it’s the Jeep. The guys jump out and while they meet Nora, I go straight to George to check out his wound. He’s just wearing a small bandage now. The swelling is down but there’s a nasty purple bruise in the area.
“Any word from your dad or Mrs. Delange?”
“Nope. Nothing.” He takes my hand. “He must be freaking out.”
“So,” Dexter says, walking over. “Your mom came by the shop today.”
I gape. “What? When?”
“This morning.” He narrows his eyes. “She seemed different.”
“Totally different,” Jake adds.
“Did your mom join a cult or something in Europe?” Dex asks.
“That could explain it, right?” I laugh. “I don’t know. I think something changed with her after I moved out.”
“She came over to talk to Sierra.”
I tilt my head. “Really? About what?”
“I don’t know. They went over to the house to talk alone and Sierra didn’t tell me what it was about. I decided to let it drop.”
“Is she going to try to make you move back?” George asks.
“I don’t think so.” I do wonder if she was talking to Sierra about the police and Dexter’s hearing. I hope so. We’re so much closer to getting all this resolved.
“Ready?” Claire asks, coming from the house. She tugs her jacket over her shoulders and links hands with Nora. “Two cars?”
“I think it’s a good idea,” Dexter says.
We all pile in, me and the guys in the Jeep, Claire and Nora alone in the car. They seem content to have time alone and I’m just happy to be with all of my boys together without having to worry about looking over my shoulder the whole time.
37
Charlie