Page 84 of The Accidental Text

I look down at the phone in my lap. And then my head jerks up.

“CHASE HAS MOM’S PHONE NUMBER!”

The words come out super loud, like they just exploded from my mouth.

The room goes silent. All heads turn toward me. Avery starts to whine in Chelsea’s lap, and Mark gets up and lifts her into his arms. He coaxes Alice from the table with promises of candy and the three of them exit the room. Lucky.

“What?” Chelsea asks as her family leaves, confusion on her face.

“Who’s Chase?” Dad asks.

“Mom’s phone?” says Devon.

I swallow. That was a real knee-jerk reaction. I could have yelled fire … that might have been better.

I take a breath. “You all know Chase. He was at the party and then at Drives for Dreams.”

My dad nods his head slowly, remembering. He looks to June, who gives him questioning eyes.

“Devon gave him a ride in the Lambo?” my dad asks.

I nod my head. “Yes. He’s … he’s not a client or a potential client. His name is Chase Beckett. And he has Mom’s phone number,” I say.

“What?” Devon says, his ire now directed at me.Good, good… that was the point of my outburst. Even if I have so many regrets already.

“I don’t understand,” says Chelsea.

I close my eyes and take a steadying breath before opening them. “I was texting Mom’s phone. After she died. It was kind of like therapy,” I add, after seeing the confused/concerned look on my dad’s face. “It felt like therapy, at least.”

“Maggie,” Chelsea says, and I look to see her watery eyes.

I blink rapidly, looking away from her. I can’t cry right now. “So then I found out that Dad had turned off Mom’s phone.”

“I’m so sorry, Magpie,” my dad says, his voice quiet. “Had I known—”

“It’s okay, Dad.” I cut him off. “I understand.” I give him a closed-mouth smile. “It turns out that my texts started going to someone.”

Chelsea’s eyes go wide. “Chase?”

“Yes,” I say. “Chase.”

“Wait … the guy that wants to bring his car to the shop?” Devon asks. He’s still not grasping this. “The one I gave a ride in the Lamborghini?”

“Wait … why was he at both events?” Chelsea asks.

“I … invited him.” I nibble on my bottom lip after this declaration. It’s weird to begin with, but inviting him to that party and then to Drives for Dreams makes it ten times crazier.

“I don’t understand, Magpie,” Dad says.

I swallow, looking at him and then to June. She gives me acomforting smile, dipping her chin as if to urge me on. I’m suddenly grateful for her steadying presence.

“Chase wrote me back after he started getting my texts that were meant for Mom, and we sort of … started texting.”

“What?” Devon says. He’s got triple chins now, the way he’s pulled his face so far inward. His lips are pulled downward.

“Catch up, Devon,” Chelsea says. “Our sister has been texting a stranger, thinking it was Mom’s phone, and then invited him to our family business work events.”

I shoot her an annoyed look. There’s an accusatory tone to her voice. She’s not wrong, but it’s so much more than that.

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