“Now, if there’s nothing else, I’ve got to finish dinner before Mr. West gets home.”
“Right, um, no, there’s nothing else. Thank you.”
“Goodbye, Ember.”
She hangs up before I can say anything else.
I bolt upright in bed, my shorts and tank top sticking to my clammy skin. I haven’t had that dream in years, the one that reminds me very acutely of how big of a fool I was when I was younger.
No, I wasn’t a fool. I did what I had to do.
Still telling yourself that, hmm?
Sunshine peeks through the curtains, and a quick glance at my cell tells me I overslept. Probably because I had to make a middle of the night trip, but oh well. It is what it is.
I take a quick shower and dress for the day before heading to the kitchen where I hear Mrs. West humming.
“Morning,” I say brightly. “How’d you sleep?”
“Much better than Parker, that’s for sure,” she says, her tone cheerful. “Poor thing must’ve had too much to drink because he’s passed out on the porch.”
“What?” I screech, hurrying to the front door.
I yank it open and freeze when I see him curled up on the welcome mat like a dog trying to sleep in a bed too small for them. Gently, I nudge him with my bare foot in an effort to wake him up.
“Five more minutes,” he mumbles, his Texan accent stronger than I’ve heard it since seeing him again.
“No,” I say, speaking loud enough to break through his hangover. “Get up.”
As if I poked him with a branding iron, he sits up, then holds his hands to his head with a scowl. “Dammit, that hurt.”
“I’m sure it did. Now get up and get inside before the neighbors see you out here like a homeless person.”
I spin on my heel and walk away, not bothering to wait and see if he follows. It’s not my house, after all, and I’m not his mother. Speaking of, I don’t hear her humming anymore, and the house is eerily silent.
Shit!
“Mrs. West,” I call out. No response. “Mrs. West,” I try again as I race through the living room to the kitchen, finding it empty. The stove, however, is on and a pot is boiling over.
“Why are you yelling?” Ghost asks from behind me. “Use your inside voice.”
“I’m yelling because while I was dealing with you, your mom disappeared,” I reply frantically and rush down the hall to check the bedrooms and bathrooms.
“What do you mean she disappeared?” he snarls, all traces of his rough night gone. “You’re supposed to be watching her.”
“No shit, asshole! But she said you were sleeping on the porch, and I—” I clamp my mouth shut before I say something I can’t take back.
“You what?” he demands. “What could possibly have been more important than your damn job?”
His taunt causes my vision to go red. Rage bubbles up the back of my throat, and I can’t stop myself from shouting my reply.
“You! You were more important. You’ve always been more fucking important!”
CHAPTER 17
GHOST
Em’s a fuckin’ angel.
