Page 10 of Before You Go

There’s that hum again.

My phone starts to ring, so I pull it out of my clutch and inwardly groan when I see it’s my mom calling. Part of me wants to ignore her, but I know she’ll just call back over and over until I finally pick up.

“Hey, Mom.” I put the call on speaker.

“Where are you? Did you leave?”

“No, I’m down by the pool.”

“Why are you down there?” she asks, sounding confused.

“It’s quiet, and I wanted to eat in peace.”

“Well, when you're finished, will you please come back to the house? There are people here who would like to see you.”

“I’ll be there in a few minutes.” I hang up and tuck my cell away, meeting Dayton’s gaze. “I’ve been summoned.”

“I heard.” A flash of humor crosses his face.

“I guess I should go back,” I sigh.

“Yeah, me too,” he agrees, moving to his feet.

Carefully getting up, I adjust my dress, then look up at him when he takes hold of my elbow to steady me while I slip my heels back on.

“Thanks,” I murmur when I have them both on my feet. With a jerk of his chin, he lets me go and hands me my wine glass before he picks up my empty plate along with his.

“Thanks for keeping me company,” I tell him quietly when we reach the bottom of the steps that lead up to the patio, and he looks down at me.

“Any time.”

With a nod, I drop my gaze from his and walk up the stairs, losing sight of him as he disappears into the crowd.

As the evening carries on, I catch a glimpse of him from time to time and swear his unusual blue eyes are always on me. I tell myself it’s just my imagination, but that doesn’t stop my knees from getting weak or my skin from prickling each and every time my eyes meet his.

CHAPTER 3

Francisca

“Are you sure you don’t want me to drive you?” Dad asks, then continues quietly while looking around, “You’d be doing me a favor by giving me an excuse to get out of here.”

“Mom would be upset if you left.”

“She’d get over it.”

“Get over what?” Mom asks, joining us and leaning her weight into Dad’s side. She’s been drinking this evening, and it shows—not just in the cute shade of pink on the bridge of her nose and across her cheeks, but her smile is so bright that it’s infectious.

“I was just telling Dad that I’m going to head home.”

“Already?” Her smile melts away.

“Yeah, I’m tired and ready to go to bed.”

“You could stay the night here, in your old room.” Her expression brightens at the idea.

“I would, but I need to get home to PJ.”

“I never see you anymore,” she pouts.

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