Page 27 of Rook

It was a huge deal.

The situation being such as it was, though, I felt like I couldn’t tell either of them how much it meant.

I wiped the tears from my cheeks, promising myself that I would thank Colter, be genuine in my gratitude, but would keep my damn emotions to myself.

I emptied the basket, putting the bath products in the bathroom, spreading the blanket across the bed, putting my stuffy up by the pillows, and setting the snacks in the drawer, marveling a little at the ability to just… eat them whenever I wanted to.

Finished putting everything away, I indulged in a bath with one of the bombs, slipped into my new PJs and fuzzy socks, then climbed into bed with my blanket.

Then I ate snacks while I shopped for office supplies.

It was the most seen I had ever felt.

It was the safest feeling I’d ever known.

It was the best night I’d ever known.

Maybe to an outsider, that would be sad. But to anyone who knew my life before Shady Valley, they would know how much this all meant, how dream-like it was, and how much I was soaking up the kindness and freedom.

And, it seemed, there was only more of it to come.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Rook

“Sorry for the last-minute call,” I said as I opened the door for Tessa.

“No worries. I was just sitting in my car waiting for a delivery request to come in.”

She was dressed to be bumming around in her car, in a matching beige sweatsuit—despite the fact that it was warm out. But that kind of worked. Because she was also dressed for bumming around at my place.

I’d had one visit from Nancy since we spread some girly shit around my apartment. And Nancy’s eagle eyes had zeroed in on the hair clip on the coffee table immediately.

Then, when she’d checked the apartment out, she’d opened Tessa’s contact case and rifled through the tampon box before finally turning to me to ask if someone was living with me. Which was, she reminded me, against the rules without permission.

I’d been quick to assure her that while my girlfriend occasionally stayed over, she hadn’t moved in. Yet.

There’d been a lot of questioning then. About Tessa. How we’d met. If I’d known her in my old life. If she was a hacker. If she was associated with any criminal organization. The list went on and on.

In the end, though, as much as I knew it was killing her, she couldn’t do anything about who I fucked or dated.

I’d been high on her disappointment for a week.

But I’d just gotten a text from Coach, who said he’d seen Nancy making her way into town as he was heading out for a ride.

Hence rushing to get Tessa in my apartment.

It was time for them to meet so we could escalate our relationship and get someone to put eyes on my mom.

“Coach said he saw Nancy about fifteen minutes outside of town,” I told her, leading her over to the couch where I already had two mugs of coffee set up, some snacks sitting around, and a show playing on the TV.

“Look at you all ready,” she said, smiling as she sat down on the couch and pulled the blanket over her lap. “Have you heard any news about your mom?” she asked as I sat down next to her.

She draped the blanket over me.

“Last I heard, the psychosis is… controlled. But she’s really down.”

“I’m sorry,” Tessa said, sounding genuine.

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