Page 16 of Double Bucked

He sends back a thumbs-up.

I pull my suitcase out from under my bed. As I check to make sure I have my passport and the boarding passes, I munch on the dinner roll—even plain, it tastes like sweet victory.

Twenty minutes till, I call the car service and confirm that they have a car scheduled. I perch at my window, the blinds peeled back just enough, and stare down the long, dark road.

Fireflies twinkle by the fence. For the first time, my heart lurches.

I’m going to miss this place.

As much as I hate it, Belleflower is home.

But I need to get out of here. If I don’t, I’ll never know what it is to stand on my own two feet.

I have it all planned out—the hotel where Ransom and I will stay for the first few weeks. And then orientation, and I’ll be in school, earning my MBA. My acceptance letter is tucked into my purse. Tuition won’t be easy without Daddy’s money, but it will work out. It has to work out.

I stress eat the rest of the roll until it’s nothing but crumbs. Finally, there’s light at the end of the tunnel. The cab curls around the side-winding roads and approaches the house.

I shoot Ransom a text: Cab is here. Come now.

I grab my bag and pull my purse over my shoulder. I touch the crystal doorknob.

My gaze gets caught on my promise ring.

That glint of diamond on my ring finger. The ring I’ve worn every day of my life since I was thirteen.

When I put this ring on, I promised to be perfect. A good, obedient, intelligent little girl. Pure of heart and body. Dedicated to my own excellence. The perfect future Belleflower Queen.

But over a decade has passed, and the dream of wearing the Belleflower Queen crown gets further and further every day. It’s a stupid dream. Like holding on to the fantasy that every Christmas, a man on a magical sleigh will leave me presents. But…

It still hurts. Even all this time, it still hurts that I was never good enough. A bruise on my heart that won’t heal.

Hell with it.

I twist the ring off my finger and set it down on my dresser. Then, I open my bedroom door and quietly slip out.

Sometimes, Daddy spends his evenings drinking whiskey and listening to music in the sitting room. Tonight, it’s quiet downstairs. I exhale a tight breath. Small graces.

I take my luggage and hobble downstairs with it as quietly as I can. I wanted to bring more, but I couldn’t shove too much away without arousing suspicion. Besides, I’ve calculated that once I’m there and making some money of my own, I’ll be able to buy clothes of my own?—

The night air is brisk. I’ve made it this far. The car is already parked outside, the driver standing near it. He greets me and takes my luggage. I look around, but…there’s no sign of Ransom.

[text:] where are you???

I stare at my phone. A couple of minutes later, it pings.

[text:] I’ll meet you at the airport.

My heart hiccups. This was not the plan.

I’d scheduled everything so meticulously. I’d reminded him. Countless times. There is no room for deviation.

I send him a scourge of texts. He doesn’t reply.

“Ma’am?” The driver holds the door open for me.

I get inside, but I feel as though I’ve swallowed a horseshoe whole, the metal bend stuck in my throat, making it hard to breathe. He shuts the door behind me, and all the crickets and owls and nighttime Kentucky sounds get sucked away into a vacuum of silence.

The ride to the airport is a blur. I pay the driver, check my bag, go through security, and find my gate. But I can’t focus on anything. I spend the whole time clutching my cell phone and staring at the blank screen, praying for it to ring.

---