Page 79 of Desolation

She shrugs. “When I heard Dad and Grandpa arguing he was saying things about how he would not let it happen. That’s when he started asking Grandpa weird stuff about you.”

“What do you mean?”

She shakes her head. “I don’t really know what they were talking about.”

Fuck. Why is he looking for me? He should care less. I go to ask her more about what she heard when I hear a squeal in the room. Olivia grabs the phone from her sister. “Mommy!” she shouts so loud I am sure it woke up Landon.

“Hey bumble bee.”

“I miss you so much! When are you coming home? I want to show you all the pictures I colored. And the dolls Grandma got me. And the—”

“She doesn’t want to see your stupid stuff, Olive.”

Olivia’s bottom lip starts to quiver and I see tears crest her eyes. “Don’t call me that.”

She hates when Makayla calls her Olive.

“Well, you’re gross just like olives. I saw you—”

“Girls!” I shout over the video call as they start picking on each other. They only get this way when they’ve spent too much alone time together. I really do need to get home.

“Mommy,” Olivia cries. “I want you to come home now.”

I coo into the phone. “Soon bumble bee.”

“Daddy said he wants to see you too.”

I swallow. “Oh yeah. When did he say that?”

Olivia’s tears dissipate as her face brightens up. “When he came and read to me last night. He never does anymore and it was so fun.”

“What did he say?” I ask. I can feel my heartbeat in my ears.

“He asked where you were a bajillion times. And I said you were working on a project.”

Thank God.

“I said I wanted to visit you because you were at the beach and it looked so pretty.”

Shit. I told my kids I was somewhere warm. I video called them once from the beach so they could see but I never told them where I was.

I clench my knee to keep my hand from shaking. “And what did he say?”

“Nothing. He just hoped you came home soon. Like us.”

My husband isn’t stupid. And he has power. A lot of it. I’m sure it won’t take him long to find me. And if he is so curious about where I am, he must have figured out I found that file in his office. I was careful about putting everything back the way I found it but maybe I wasn’t careful enough.

I let the girls talk my ear off for another ten minutes before they hang up to go play with the horses.

I set my phone on the counter, my hands shaking, my head a mess.

I try to take a deep breath but it comes out shallow and uneven.

“They’re beautiful.”

I jump at Landon’s voice. I didn’t realize he was behind me.

“You’re a good mom.”

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