Page 49 of The Forever Play

“Zo-ey!” I try to sing her name, seeing if that will coax her out, but it gets me no results.

I start a systematic search, heading from the cold section down toward the cereal aisle. And with each minute that passes, my panic starts to grow until I’m running down the next aisle in a blind rush and barreling straight into a concrete wall.

A hand darts out to catch me, long fingers that I know so well wrapping around my arm to stop me falling.

“Hey. Are you okay?” His husky voice is in full play, and I respond the only way I can…

I burst into tears.

CHAPTER 18

ZANDER

“Sienna?”

“Zander.” She blubbers my name, curling her fingers into my hoodie… and I follow my gut. Pulling her into a hug, I rest her head against my shoulder, rubbing circles on her back while Wily stands beside me looking comically confused.

“Who’s this?” he mouths, and I give him a desperatenot now.

Thankfully, he nods while I try to work out how I’m going to help Sienna.

She’s seriously distraught right now.

“No, no, no.” She shoves me away, brushing hair off her wet face with shaking hands. “I can’t find Zoey.”

“What?” I’m immediately alert, scanning the store around me. “What happened?”

“I was looking for yogurt and she was standing right beside me, and then she was just… she was gone! And I can’t find her!”

“Hey, it’s okay. We’re gonna find her.”

“How old is she?” Wily asks.

“Um, she’s, um…” Sienna closes her eyes like she can’t even think straight, so I answer for her.

“She’s two. Blonde curls. Blue eyes. What’s she wearing?”

“Uh… blue overalls with a… a pink T-shirt and purple shoes.” Sienna blinks, like she’s slowly coming back online.

I rub her arm and keep assuring her. “It’s all right. We’ll find her.”

“I’ll check outside.” Wily darts away from me, calling Zoey’s name, and I wince as the shop bell dings, torturing myself with images of Zoey dashing out into the road and getting hit by a car.

“Oh my G—” Sienna’s obviously thinking the same thing, and I quickly snap us out of it.

“Look at me.” I lightly shake her. “Whatever it is you’re picturing, stop. Now. That’s not going to help us.”

Sienna’s head starts to bob. “Okay. Okay, okay.”

“You go let the workers at the front know and then start checking the aisles to the left, and I’m gonna take the right?”

“Okay,” she squeaks, her voice pitching.

“We’ll find her.” Kissing her forehead, I dart away from Sienna and try to keep my panic in check as I walk down every aisle, calling my daughter’s name—shit,mydaughter—and praying we’ll find her quickly.

I barely know the girl, and I’m fighting a meltdown. I can only imagine what Sienna’s going through right now.

But it’s all going to be okay.

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