Page 93 of Finish Line

“Well, I guess you’re over it since you came back.” She sits down her mug with a snap against the counter. “I guess five men who you haven’t known that long helped you better than someone who’s known you your whole life.”

She glares at Luke, who stands behind me. “I’m going back to bed.”

She stomps to her room.

I don’t think we’ll ever understand each other, and that hurts.

“You must be like your dad, because you’re nothing like your mom,” Luke says, trying to break the tension my mom left behind.

I sink back against him and sigh again. Lately, that’s all I do around my mom.

“I thought things changed between us before I got taken. But when I came back from the hospital, it was like we took two giant steps back.” I shake my head. “I don’t know.”

Luke shoulders my bag before he takes my hand, and we walk to my room.

Wrapping his arms around me, he hugs me. “I better head home. See you after school tomorrow, angel?”

I tilt my head back and place my chin on his chest. “Yeah, sounds good.”

He kisses me goodbye before heading back out to his car.

I stand in the middle of my room, staring at everything, and I’m still like that when Cin joins me.

“I figured I might find you like this.” She walks up to me, wrapping her arms around me, like she’s been doing this since she arrived in Hawaii.

I appreciate it and squeeze her back.

She releases me and looks at my luggage. “Let’s unpack your shit before I have to go.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

SHELBY

The house is quiet without Hannah.

I stand in the living room, my hands sweaty, when Nick comes in. He waves me over to where he is, and we sit on the couch.

“What are your plans now that you’re back home?” He turns so his arm lies on the back of the couch, his back against the armrest, with one leg up on the cushions.

“I have no idea.” Exasperation bleeds into my voice. “Get a job, I guess.”

“You don’t need a job.” He laughs. “Now, if you want a job, then fine, but Dad isn’t going to make you work to earn your keep.”

“I know, but I can’t sit here and do nothing every day. I’ll go nuts.” I flop back against the couch. “Plus, Mom will hover around me, nagging about whatever she deems isn’t perfect.”

He nods. “Want to watch a movie?”

“Sure. Let’s order something. I’m hungry.”

When the movie ends, I ask Nick if I can borrow his truck to go job hunting tomorrow, since my bike’s not back from Hawaii yet.

He doesn’t have a problem with it. I’ll drive him to school in the morning, then Luke can bring him home.

Since we have to be up early for school tomorrow, we head to bed.

After struggling to sleep that night, jet lag hits me hard the following day. In Hawaii, I’d be going to sleep right now instead of waking up.

I roll out of bed and dress quickly. I’ll have time after I drop Nick off at school to prepare for my day of job hunting.

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