Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80957 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80957 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
"You don’t get it. She’s probably just shy."
"Shy?” I scoffed. “She shows her tits and ass for money. She’s far from shy.”
We all laughed, but Skid was staring off into space, clearly still replaying the awkward interaction. "She told me she needed to go ‘take care of some stuff.’”
“And we all know what that means,” I laughed, as we continued ribbing him.
“It don’t mean shit,” Skid snapped. “She has a set in half an hour.”
"It doesn’t have anything to do with the fact she ain’t interested in picking up what you’re laying down?”
“You know what?” Skid’s eyes narrowed. “Screw you. She’s just playing hard to get.”
“Hard to get?” Zeke nearly spit out his beer. “Brother, she’s playing ‘never gonna happen.’”
We all laughed, and I was about to throw in another jab when my phone started to ring. I pulled it out of my pocket and glanced down at the screen. When I saw that it was Mom calling, I held up my hand and said, “I’ll be back in a bit.”
My mom wasn’t the type to call for no reason, so I dipped out and rushed to my office just in time to answer, “Hey, Ma. What’s up?”
“Hi, sweetheart. I’m sorry to bother you, but…,” she started, her voice tinged with that mix of worry and urgency I knew all too well. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I don’t know. I just had this feeling, and it’s been gnawing at me all afternoon. I don’t know what it is, but something isn’t right.”
“Well, everything’s good here,” I said, leaning against the wall and running a hand through my hair. “I’m at work, and everything’s golden.”
“Okay,” she sighed.
“You don’t sound convinced.”
“You know how it is when I get one of these feelings of mine... They’re rarely ever wrong, Holt. I’m telling ya. Something bad is coming. I just need you to promise me you’re being careful.”
“Yeah, I promise,” I said, though the knot in my stomach tightened. She wasn’t lying. Her instincts were always on point, and I couldn’t help but wonder what bullshit was about to come knocking at my door. Hoping to ease my mother’s mind, I told her, “You don’t gotta worry, Ma. I’m a big boy. I can take care of myself.”
“Don’t patronize me. I know all too well that you can take care of yourself, but I’m your mother. I’m going to worry. It comes with the territory.”
“Yeah, yeah. I know.”
“Just... stay safe, okay? And call me tomorrow. Let me know you’re alright.”
“Will do,” I said, softening my tone. “Love you, Ma.”
“Love you, too.”
When the call ended, I stayed there for a moment, just staring at the phone. Her words clung to me as I shoved my phone in my pocket, then headed back out to the floor and rejoined Skid and Zeke. They were still going at it, but for me, the teasing had lost its edge. Mom’s bad feeling had turned into my bad feeling, and I had no idea what I was going to do about it.
4
TALLIE
“Wow.” I looked around my son’s new room and smiled. “It’s really coming together.”
“Um-hmm.” Ford was sitting cross-legged on the floor as he worked to remove the backing off of a glow-in-the-dark star. “Where do you think this one should go?”
“I don’t know. Let’s see.” I glanced around at all the stickers we’d already put up, then suggested, “How about right there, next to the moon? We can put several there like it’s the Big Dipper.”
“That’d be cool,” he answered with a satisfied grin.
We’d been working on his room for hours. He wanted a space theme, so I filled the walls with posters of astronauts and hung rockets and the solar system from the ceiling. I thought the stars would give it that special touch, and he was thrilled with the idea.
I watched as he stepped up on the chair and placed the sticker on the wall. He looked at it for a moment, then nodded with a smile. That smile warmed my heart. For the first time in a while, Ford looked truly happy—and it made me feel like maybe I’d done something right by moving us back here.
Once we finished with the stickers, we started unboxing his toys and books. We were busy lining them on his bookshelf when my phone buzzed on the nightstand. I glanced over, and my stomach twisted into a knot when I saw Dad on the screen.
Noting my grimace, Ford paused and asked, “Who is it?”
“It’s Grandpa,” I said, trying to keep my voice even. “Why don’t you finish the books while I take this?”
He shrugged and went back to work, but I could feel his curious eyes on me as I walked out of the room. As much as I didn’t want to speak to my father, I knew he would just keep calling until I answered. I swallowed hard before saying, “Hey, Dad.”