Page 57 of Sinful Skulls
We’re all quiet for a few minutes.
“Anyway, I just called to let you guys know I’m okay. I’m going to be staying with Brody. We, um, we’re kinda dating now.”
Brody chuckles silently beside me, and I push his leg.
My parents visibly relax at the smile he brings to my face. They know it’s genuine.
“I just need a little more time. I’ll send you guys my address once I get settled, and I know Brody is excited to meet you. He’s been hounding me for weeks to call you.”
“We’re just glad you called, hun. We’ve been so worried,” my dad says.
“I know,” I whisper.
“Please send us your address,” he adds.
Finally, my mother has calmed herself enough to speak. “Tell Brody thank you for taking care of you. We look forward to meeting him soon. We love you, sweetie. We really really do. You’re the best thing that ever happened to us.”
I rub my hand over my chest, fighting back tears. “I love you guys too. I’ve got to go.” I hang up, not even giving them a chance to say goodbye.
Brody wraps me in his arms. “I’m so proud of you.”
“That went better than I thought it would,” I say, hiccupping through my sobs.
“I think so too.” He dries my face with his hands. “Let’s get home.”
I nod, relaxing back in my seat.
A few miles down the road, I realize I do feel better. “Thank you for making me make the call.”
“It’s always good to face things head on.”
“You’re right,” I agree, but I don’t know if that’s entirely true.Sometimes facing things head on leads to a collision you don’t survive.
Chapter Twenty-One
Daisy
The minute we step into Brody’s house, I feel like I’ve time traveled back to the seventies.
“I know it’s a bit dated,” he admits.
I spin in a circle. “I love it!” I say, clapping my hands.
He watches me as I move around the room, touching all of his things. I stop in front of an old console record player. “Does it work?”
Brody laughs. “Yeah.” He leans behind it to plug it in. “My grandmother raised me. I haven’t changed much since she died. I mean, I’m just happy to have a roof over my head.”
Again, my mind drifts to the woman on the beach and the words she said to me before meeting Brody: It means an angel is near.
Every day I find something new that I love about him.
I flip through the record albums he has in a basket. “This is so cool, Brody. I love that you’ve kept all these.”
He laughs. “You’re really going to hit it off with my friend JD. He has a bunch of old albums too. He likes to sit and drink beer for hours listening to them.”
I hand him one, and he places it on the record player for me. It starts to play as I move over to the couch, running my hand against the crocheted blanket draped over the back of it. “Did your grandmother make this?”
“Naw, that’s actually new. Elizabeth made it for me.”
