Total pages in book: 254
Estimated words: 240032 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1200(@200wpm)___ 960(@250wpm)___ 800(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 240032 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1200(@200wpm)___ 960(@250wpm)___ 800(@300wpm)
The two cousins were already in the back seat by the time I got behind the wheel, and I handed Sienna my phone so she could put the address for the airport into the navigation app. The community parking lot was mostly empty, with only about ten cars parked.
It was strange how I never saw anyone walking to and from their cars.
I tried to keep the suspicion in my body so my friends wouldn’t sense it and then ask questions about it, and it must have worked because the second we were through the gates—they were motion-sensor activated on the way out, we’d learned yesterday—Si put my music streaming app on, and we sang along under our breaths, the back seat oddly quiet other than the near constant buzzing of what sounded like incoming texts. One glance in the rearview mirror confirmed that Henri was glued to his phone. Beside him, Matti was sprawled sitting up, still looking like the ghost of Christmas past.
The airport wasn’t close, and according to the directions, it was going to take over an hour to get there through the winding mountain roads. We made it about twenty minutes before Sienna snickered for no reason. I lifted my chin at her.
“Remember that time we went on the road trip to see my grandma and we got that flat tire and had to hitchhike because we didn’t have service?” she brought up.
“Oh, that poor dog in the back seat was shaking and wouldn’t stop crying, he was so scared of you, and the lady was worried he was sick,” I remembered.
Matti’s head appeared between the seats. “You hitchhiked? When?”
It took the rest of the drive to tell Matti the story about the trip we took across three states during a summer we spent with Sienna’s grandma. We had done that twice, and each time had a funny story behind it that we cracked up about. How neither one of us had ever told Matti about it was surprising, but laughing with them was better than listening to all the music in the world.
Unfortunately, it also made the time go by too fast, and we were talking about an armadillo we’d almost gotten into a wreck trying to avoid years ago when I pulled up to the drop-off section of the tiny regional airport.
We got out, and Sienna pulled me into a hug the second she shut the passenger door. “We’ll come visit soon,” she promised.
I tucked my cheek against hers. “If, or when, Duncan figures out how to hide his tail or his eyes, we’ll be the ones coming over.” I hoped she wasn’t holding her breath though.
“We’re only a phone call away—shh,” she dropped her voice suddenly. “Matti’s telling Henri something.”
If she could hear them, they could hear her, but I got her point. That was my girl. “What are they saying?” I fought the urge to peek at them too. That would be too obvious.
“He told him… that he’d appreciate it if he kept an eye on you… that you used to take care of him and… huh, that’s true,” she muttered.
“What?”
“That you’ll take care of other people but not yourself… shh, I’m still listening.”
Maybe there was some truth to that, but he didn’t need to tell freaking Henri about it.
“Matti said that if things aren’t working out, to tell him….” Sienna rattled off before suddenly kissing one cheek, then the other, acting like nothing had just happened. Her voice went back to a normal volume too. “Call if you need anything. Got it?” She winked, but her cheeks were pink.
What was that about? I narrowed my eyes at her. I’d text her later and get the scoop. For now, I kissed her cheeks right back. “Yes, ma’am.” I squeezed her muscular biceps. “Love you, Si. Thank you for coming all the way here with us.”
Her eyes started glittering, and I was sure that if I had the ability to smell her emotions, I would’ve gotten confirmation I wasn’t the only one who was sad. “We’d do anything for you and the baby. We love you. I love you.”
We hugged again, holding on just a little tighter, a little longer.
Done with their conversation, Matti came over and held out his arms wide. “Be a good girl, Jaws.”
“Shut up.” I laughed and stepped into his embrace, hugging him tight. He’d definitely lost weight. “Love you. Thank you for everything.”
I could feel him kissing the top of my head. “We’re only a call away,” he reminded me as he pulled back and gave me an intense look. “If anyone tries to hurt you, do what you have to, understand?”
Pressing my lips together, I nodded at him.
“I’m serious.”
“I know,” I told him. “I promise. I’ll do what I have to.”
He didn’t look like he totally believed me—because he knew me well enough to feel that way—but he nodded after a moment. Then he lifted his finger and said, “Come here, I want to tell you one more thing.”