Begin Again (Home In You Book 2) by Crystal Walton

Author:Crystal Walton [Walton, Crystal]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Impact Editions, LLC
Published: 2017-02-08T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

Illusions

Ti ended the call and started to pace. How could he break into her art studio? And what did he expect to find? A safe chock full of hundred dollar bills? This wasn’t a John Wayne movie.

She pressed both sets of fingertips to her forehead. Figures he’d gotten out of there without leaving any evidence behind. Must’ve wised up some in prison these last eleven years.

Images of him violating her space crawled up her skin, repressed memories shuddering back. If any of the neighborhood kids had been in the studio when he’d snuck in, Ti wouldn’t have forgiven herself.

Shame burrowed into her with the nails digging into her palms. She should be there, protecting the ground she’d fought to gain. Not hiding like the powerless girl she used to be.

Drew interrupted one of her back-and-forth strides. “Are you okay?”

The genuine concern in his eyes wrapped around her like arms of assurance. The very ones she wanted to hold her right now. Could she tell him the truth? “Drew, I . . .”

Another ringtone butted into the silence. This time, from Drew’s cell. He swiped the screen. “Maddie?”

Ti’s heart rate kicked up a notch.

Drew looked from the ground to Ti, forehead creased. “Yeah, she’s right here.” He held out the phone. “She wants to talk to you.”

Ti stole a minute to iron out the tremble in her voice. “Hey, beautiful.”

“Hey. If my dad’s standing right there, just play it cool.”

Ti met Drew’s curious gaze, tried not to give anything away, and turned to mosey in the opposite direction. “Cloak-and-dagger. Got it. So, what’s up?”

“Winnie and I were talking about birthday parties, and it got me thinking. Dad’s birthday’s coming up. He never makes a big deal out of it. But I want to do something special this year. Maybe a big party. I don’t know. Just something where he can have fun and stop worrying so much for a change.”

Only ten years old, and the girl caught on to more subtext than most adults.

Ti’s heart pinched as she looked behind her toward Drew’s broad shoulders under the porch light. “I think he’ll really like that.”

“Me too, but it has to be a surprise. Winnie’s older sister helped us come up with a whole undercover plan. Starting with this call. She said to tell Dad I was asking about shaving my legs. That should make him squirm enough to drop it.”

Ti covered her mouth too late to rein in a laugh.

“I think we should have the party at our friend Jacob’s. I’ll call him tomorrow from here so Dad doesn’t overhear. We’ll need to go shopping and work on the gift, so I’ll tell Dad you’re helping me with a school project. That way we’ll have an excuse for not working on it at home.”

Who knew someone so cute could be so cunning. “Sounds like you have a pretty good plan in place.”

“But it’ll only work if you help. Please?”

Two phone calls. Two parts of her pulling in opposite directions. She couldn’t forsake the life she’d built in Queens.

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