pushing past Ray. He looked at her with an intensity she hadn’t seen in him before. Take that back. Well, yeah, she had seen it before. In his house yesterday when he thought she was taking some sort of illegal pill in his bathroom. He could just get over it because she hadn’t taken anything but aspirin. Jerk.
“No, I don’t need coffee. I need…” Wait. Wait! Food. The kitchen…
The roses.
“Did you see them?”
“See what?” Her mom must have thought she was totally weird. Sloan thought it was totally weird they didn’t see the big huge ICU on the island.
“The letters.”
Nothing. It didn’t even register with any of them.
“In the kitchen.”
Was she talking to the wall?
“What letters? There wasn’t any mail,” her mom said helpfully.
This couldn’t be happening. Sloan ran her fingers through her hair, frustrated with the entire day. “The flowers, Mom. The flowers! They spelled letters.”
Her mom shook her head and looked very worried. “Honey, there wasn’t anything in the kitchen.”
That wasn’t right. It couldn’t be. There was something there. She’d seen it.
In fact, that’s why she’d run into her room in the first place. To get away from whoever it was who’d put them in her house. “They were there.”
She pushed past them and barreled down the steps. She’d show them they were crazy. It wasn’t like she wanted her mom to know, but, oh well. She needed to know now.
Sloan rounded the corner of the stairs with the other three behind her. They couldn’t have been so blind that they hadn’t seen…
Nothing.
She looked again.
Nothing.
It was gone. Just. Gone.
“It was here.” She stumbled toward the island, catching herself on the side. “It was here. I saw it.”
“What?” her mother asked, frustrated. “What was here, Sloan? You’re freaking me out.”
“I’m sorry, Mom!” she yelled. Why did they all have to have this dumbfounded look on their faces? It was getting on the very last of her fragile nerves. “I’m not trying to freak you out, but it was here.” She spread her hands over the table. “ They were here. All of them.”
It was Aaron’s time to add his two cents. “Are you taking those pills again?”
She stopped in her tracks and wanted to slap him.
“Pills? What pills? You’re taking drugs?” Her mom was freaking out. And she didn’t even know about the stalker part yet.
Aaron accusing her of taking drugs hurt Sloan more than she ever thought possible. She trusted him. Part of her even… liked him. And here he, in front of her mother, accused her of drugs! How dare he.
“Answer him, Sloan,” her mother interjected. Sloan could tell by the tone of her mother’s voice that she believed him. Tears stung her eyes when she looked at the three people, the three people she cared about most in this world, looking at her like she was doing something wrong.
“I. Am. Not. Nor. Have. I. Ever. Done. Drugs.” She enunciated each word and looked at each of them individually. “The only thing I took today was aspirin. That’s it. I don’t know why I’m so tired, but it probably had to do with not getting enough sleep, or, I don’t know, being scared out of my mind with this psychopath after me. How about we focus on that?”
She was shaking. Angry shaking. How dare they accuse of her things when someone was stalking her!
“Whoa!” Her mom threw her hands up in the air. “You have a stalker. Sloan Bridges, why am I just hearing about this now?”
“Great.” She laughed through the tears. “This is exactly how I wanted to tell my mom. Thanks, Aaron. Just thanks.”
She stared at him, hoping he got how furious she was at him. He could have taken her outside and had a private conversation with her. He hadn’t needed to ask her right in front of God and everyone.
“Stalker or not. Roses or not. You’re acting funny, Sloan. Not yourself. I’m worried about you. We all… we care,” Aaron said, looking at her with the
“No, I don’t need coffee. I need…” Wait. Wait! Food. The kitchen…
The roses.
“Did you see them?”
“See what?” Her mom must have thought she was totally weird. Sloan thought it was totally weird they didn’t see the big huge ICU on the island.
“The letters.”
Nothing. It didn’t even register with any of them.
“In the kitchen.”
Was she talking to the wall?
“What letters? There wasn’t any mail,” her mom said helpfully.
This couldn’t be happening. Sloan ran her fingers through her hair, frustrated with the entire day. “The flowers, Mom. The flowers! They spelled letters.”
Her mom shook her head and looked very worried. “Honey, there wasn’t anything in the kitchen.”
That wasn’t right. It couldn’t be. There was something there. She’d seen it.
In fact, that’s why she’d run into her room in the first place. To get away from whoever it was who’d put them in her house. “They were there.”
She pushed past them and barreled down the steps. She’d show them they were crazy. It wasn’t like she wanted her mom to know, but, oh well. She needed to know now.
Sloan rounded the corner of the stairs with the other three behind her. They couldn’t have been so blind that they hadn’t seen…
Nothing.
She looked again.
Nothing.
It was gone. Just. Gone.
“It was here.” She stumbled toward the island, catching herself on the side. “It was here. I saw it.”
“What?” her mother asked, frustrated. “What was here, Sloan? You’re freaking me out.”
“I’m sorry, Mom!” she yelled. Why did they all have to have this dumbfounded look on their faces? It was getting on the very last of her fragile nerves. “I’m not trying to freak you out, but it was here.” She spread her hands over the table. “ They were here. All of them.”
It was Aaron’s time to add his two cents. “Are you taking those pills again?”
She stopped in her tracks and wanted to slap him.
“Pills? What pills? You’re taking drugs?” Her mom was freaking out. And she didn’t even know about the stalker part yet.
Aaron accusing her of taking drugs hurt Sloan more than she ever thought possible. She trusted him. Part of her even… liked him. And here he, in front of her mother, accused her of drugs! How dare he.
“Answer him, Sloan,” her mother interjected. Sloan could tell by the tone of her mother’s voice that she believed him. Tears stung her eyes when she looked at the three people, the three people she cared about most in this world, looking at her like she was doing something wrong.
“I. Am. Not. Nor. Have. I. Ever. Done. Drugs.” She enunciated each word and looked at each of them individually. “The only thing I took today was aspirin. That’s it. I don’t know why I’m so tired, but it probably had to do with not getting enough sleep, or, I don’t know, being scared out of my mind with this psychopath after me. How about we focus on that?”
She was shaking. Angry shaking. How dare they accuse of her things when someone was stalking her!
“Whoa!” Her mom threw her hands up in the air. “You have a stalker. Sloan Bridges, why am I just hearing about this now?”
“Great.” She laughed through the tears. “This is exactly how I wanted to tell my mom. Thanks, Aaron. Just thanks.”
She stared at him, hoping he got how furious she was at him. He could have taken her outside and had a private conversation with her. He hadn’t needed to ask her right in front of God and everyone.
“Stalker or not. Roses or not. You’re acting funny, Sloan. Not yourself. I’m worried about you. We all… we care,” Aaron said, looking at her with the
Similar Books
