Page 21 of Take Me to the Valley

Unknown:Hey, this is Emelie. We met at the hospital when we visited Evan. Your brother gave me your number. I hope that's okay.

Emelie and her husband, Axel, arrived right as I was leaving. She gave me a hug and welcomed me home. I don’t know her all that well, but she seems sweet and caring. When she suggested I get together with her and the other girls, I said okay, but we didn’t work out any details as I had to go.

Me:No problem, it’s good I have your number. And I know we’d talked briefly at the hospital about getting together, and I’d love to meet up. Once he gets out of the hospital, I'll be staying with Evan until he is back on his feet. So, we’ll have to play it by ear.

Emelie:Sounds good! I am going to hold you to that! Save my number and let me know if you need help with anything. I can stock his freezer and I'm great at cleaning and laundry!

Me:Wow! Music to my ears!

“Who's that?” Kaylee asks, as I set my phone down and start driving.

“Some of Evan’s friends were visiting when I was leaving. His friend’s wife got my number from Cody and texted to say if I needed help to let her know. She said she'd cook or clean and wanted to get together once he was feeling better,” I told her.

“That's nice. You do need to make friends other than me, as much as I hate to share you.”

“Girl, if I meet up with her and her friends, you best believe you are coming with me.” I reach over and squeeze her hand, and she gives me a teary smile.

The rest of the way home, we talk about anything other than the events that happened today. It’s almost too much. I take Kaylee right to her house and she gets her car, and I give her my house key.

“I’ll be by to pack my bag, but make yourself at home,” I tell her, giving her a hug. Then I plug Evan’s address, which Cody gave me into the GPS.

Cody told me Evan had just moved into this place right before I came home and to expect things to still be in boxes. Otherwise, I know nothing but the address and the code to the door.

It's a short drive into the mountains. Even though it’s fairly isolated, it’s not too hard to find. Motion lights kick on as I pull up in front of the house, and from what I can see, the place looks beautiful. I check my surroundings before stepping out of the car. My dad always taught me never to be too careful in the woods around here.

I get to the door and put the code in. The door opens, and I turn on the light and gasp. The cabin is magazine level stunning. It has an open concept with a gigantic stone fireplace, and akitchen that makes me jealous. The place looks mostly set up with just a few boxes in the corner, but the walls are pretty bare.

Going upstairs, I easily find Skye's room. Her unicorn stuffie is on the unmade bed, so I make the bed, pick up the unicorn, and go in search of a bag in her closet. Not finding what I’m looking for, I go to Evan's room and look in his closet. Since I keep my luggage on the top shelf of my closet, I figure that’s a good place to start looking.

As soon as I walk into his room, I smell his cologne. His bed is made, and everything seems to be in its place. I want to snoop, but I know I shouldn't, especially since this man is lying in a hospital bed right now. Instead, I move to his closet, and sure enough, I find two duffle bags on the top shelf above a row of his uniforms.

One bag is all black, and the other is black and pink. Without a doubt in my mind, the pink one must be Skye's, so I grab it, putting the unicorn safely in the side pocket of the duffle. Then, going to her dresser, I pack everything she’ll need for the rest of the week. I make sure to grab her stuff from the bathroom, too, and load it into my car. Taking one more trip back inside, I make sure everything is turned off and locked securely before I leave and go to my place.

Also, I want to check on Kaylee and make sure she is settled in, and I need to pack my own bag before heading over to Mom and Dad's.

Once I’m at my parents’ house, it's all hands-on board to come up with a plan to help with Skye and Evan. Cody is to stay atthe hospital with Evan, and Mom is on drop-off and pickup duty with Skye. Drew, Colt, and Kaiden will work during the day and take turns, with one of them coming home each night to help out. I am free during the day, but on Skye duty at night. Per Mom's insistence, Dad will be back and forth at the hospital checking on Cody and Evan.

When I pull into the parking area at my apartment, Kaylee’s car is there, so I walk up the stairs, knock, and then open the door. Before I even get to call out for her, I can hear her crying from my bedroom.

“It's me,” I call, closing the door and dropping my purse to check on her.

I find her lying on my bed, curled up and sobbing. So, I do what any best friend would do and crawl into bed beside her, pull her into my arms and let her cry. I don't bother asking what is wrong. Whenever she wants to talk, she knows I'm here. But right now, I can tell she just needs a good cry to get it all out of her system.

I’m thinking that the day is catching up with her. All in a matter of one forty-eight period, she broke up with her boyfriend, had her house raided, a friend got shot, and then displaced. That would take a toll on anyone.

“Not only does the Chief have questions for me, but they also consider me a person of interest in the drug dealings. Apparently, they didn't quite believe that it was happening in my house, and I had no clue. I never, not once, found drugs in thehouse. In this day and age, all these strangers coming and going are a huge red flag. How could I be so unaware?” she sniffles.

“Let's not panic just yet. They are in the early stages of putting everything together. I'm sure they put the case on pause until they knew what was going on with Evan. Give it a few more days. I bet they’ll realize you have nothing to do with all this once they get through all the evidence they’ve collected.”

“Maybe? I guess?” She says, wiping her face.

“Then I know a damn good lawyer who will help you out,” I tell her.

“Yeah, I should talk to Jack and see what his advice is with all this,” she says, sitting up.

Hugging her, I start packing my bag. “That would be a good idea. You are close enough here that you can walk down there and enjoy the fresh air.”

“I wish you could stay here with me,” she sighs dramatically.

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