680 Miles Away by Stone Tara J

Author:Stone, Tara J.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tara J. Stone
Published: 2024-04-02T00:00:00+00:00

Tobias had told Steve and Kristy nothing of Evie or of Sam’s reason for visiting before she came. The four of them ate dinner together when Sam arrived, and she revealed the truth about her visit as they ate. Steve seemed only mildly interested in finding out more about his newly discovered niece, which struck Sam as odd, but Kristy responded with more enthusiasm. She convinced Steve to give Tobias a day off so he could go with Sam to Bach for More.

Despite Sam’s protestations that she was perfectly happy sleeping on the couch in Tobias’s basement abode, Tobias insisted that he take the couch and she take his bed. Secretly, and somewhat guiltily, Sam relished the thought of sleeping in Tobias’s bed—even if he couldn’t sleep there with her yet. The pillows smelled like him.

Even with the comfort of pillows that smelled like Tobias, though, Sam hardly slept. She was too excited about meeting her sister, and her mind raced with the possibilities. When morning came, she learned that Tobias had slept poorly as well—only in his case, it was because of the lumpy couch. Distracted as she was by thoughts of Evie, Sam felt more like herself than she had in weeks.

Watching Tobias eat his cereal, his hair still askew from sleeping, she realized why. The Howard house was where she lived, but Tobias was her home. He caught her staring.

“I missed eating breakfast with you,” Sam said, smiling.

The tips of his ears turned pink—a boyish attribute that embarrassed Tobias but which Sam had found ridiculously adorable ever since she’d known him—but he smiled in return.

Bach for More opened at 9:00 AM. As hard as it was to wait, Sam determined that they should give Evie the courtesy of getting her day started before interrupting her. In fact, Sam debated waiting until closing time. If the meeting went well, she and Evie would surely want to have a very long conversation to catch up on the seventeen years of sisterhood they’d been deprived of—a conversation that would be impossible while Evie was still on the clock.

But by midmorning, Sam got antsy and announced that she was ready.

* * * * *

Sam and Tobias walked hand-in-hand from the parking lot toward the front of the building.

“You okay?” Tobias asked, looking down at her and giving her hand a little shake.

“Yeah. Great.” Sam could barely breathe. The reality of what was about to happen had walloped her brain halfway to the music store, and she’d almost vomited from nerves.

“We don’t have to do this. We can still turn around,” Tobias said, slowing their pace.

Sam whipped her gaze to his face. “Are you crazy? I’m meeting my sister, and no one can stop me.”

Tobias’s eyebrows lifted a bit, but he wisely said nothing.

A sign on Bach for More’s door prompted them to put masks on. Sam groaned. She’d forgotten hers in the car.

“It’s okay, come on,” Tobias said and opened the door for Sam. He leaned close and spoke in a low voice.

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