Page 30 of Peach

“Awesome. I have the application up. Anything you don’t like on pizza, Haisley?” Harry asked.

“Just anchovies.” She shuddered and made a face.

“Yeah, that would be a no for me.”

They all headed downstairs and Haisley caught Peach’s gaze as she stepped into the room. She could tell he’d been crying. She wanted to go to him, but didn’t know if it would be too intimate of a gesture.

She picked up the stack of documents she’d been going through and found an old photo of a boy with blond curls with Ellen and John.

“Is this you?” Haisley held up the photo for Peach.

Peach’s cheeks flamed red. “Oh God. That photo. I didn’t know they still had it.”

“You’re so cute,” Harry said.

Peach shook his head. “I’m guessing that’s going to be spread across the base.”

“Heck yeah,” Harry said as he snapped a photo of the photograph.

Peach blew out a slow breath. “It’s fine.”

“I’m sorry if?—“

Peach moved over and squeezed her shoulder. "Don't feel bad. They would have found it without you here, and I wouldn't have known that he found it. Trust me, they do this type of shit all the time."

“You like it,” Rory said.

Peach rolled his eyes. “Maybe.”

The doorbell rang, and Harry moved to answer. "I'm so hungry."

They took a break, sitting on the couch as they ate pizza. Haisley couldn't believe this was her life now. These people were older than her, but they were nice. Rory was the type of friend she always wanted but had never found. In high school, most of the girls seemed more interested in stabbing her in the back, and Will made sure to isolate her so she had no friends. She'd had some form of friendship with Ellen, but that had been more like a mother-and-child situation. This was nice, good, and she hoped she didn't destroy it.

Chapter 21

On Friday,Peach had asked her to wait for dinner because he wanted to grill burgers. He said he would make up the meat and that she didn't need to do anything. His request surprised her, but she didn't argue with him.

Earlier in the day, she went to the grocery store, which wasn't too far away, and put in an application. It was a nice enough store and close enough to walk. Since moving here, she hadn't been out much other than to the store to buy some cookies. This time, she really looked around, taking in the area. There weren't a lot of trees, at least not like Georgia. The driveways were out front, and some people had short fences. Most of the houses were pale gray or earth-tone colors. There weren't any bright houses, just a sea of browns.

For a moment, she thought she’d made a wrong turn, and panic set in. She hurried to the street corner and saw she was on the correct road but must have gone the wrong way out of the store.

Luckily she hadn’t walked far, and she retraced her steps. She was standing out front of the place when sheheard someone call her name. She turned and Ava was right there, along with another woman who was very pregnant.

“Hey, you look lost.”

Haisley rolled her eyes. "I turned out the wrong way, so I'm doubling back and trying to make sure I go the correct way."

“Ah, we can drive you home. This is Mel. Mel, Haisley.”

"Hey, it's nice to meet you. You have such a cute baby bump. I remember that stage. Now I'm a whale."

Ava laughed. “Stop it. You aren’t a whale. It looks like you’re trying to smuggle a basketball out of the store.”

Mel threw back her head, laughing. “Could you imagine?”

“We just need to pop in to buy some snacks for tomorrow,” Ava said.

Panic washed over Haisley. “Oh, I guess I should bring something.”

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