Page 88 of Salvation
With Campbell’s wallet in our possession, I follow Willow down the bleachers to the concession stand.
It’s the end of October, and the chill is officially settled into the air. The wind blows when we get to the bottom, and I wrap my arms around myself, staving off the cold and the nerves of being in my daughter’s presence.
We walk a couple of steps in silence before Willow speaks up. “Did you mean what you said? About the graffiti?”
“Yeah. I did. It’s beautiful. Whoever the artist is has a lot of talent. You can see the emotions they were trying to express, but—”
“But,” Willow presses with a brow, half cocked.
I sigh, hating to admit it. “But Campbell was right. If the owner didn’t want it there, it’s still illegal. It’s a shame it will have to be removed.”
Willow presses her lips together, clearly unsatisfied with my answer, but her phone dings before I can carry on the conversation.
She pulls it out of her pocket and reads the screen, giving it another funny look. “I—um—I have to use the restroom. I’ll be right back, grab me a drink.”
She takes off before I can question whether she’s okay. I contemplate following her, but ultimately decide not to press my luck by being overbearing.
I finish my walk to the concession stand, groaning when I see the line. There are at least twelve people ahead of me. I wait for my turn, and when I’ve finally made it through and Willow still hasn’t returned, I decide to search for her.
Worry gnaws at my stomach when I find the bathroom empty. Trying not to panic, I take a deep breath and look around the open area. People are milling about everywhere, oblivious to my struggle to catch my breath. I’m nearly in a panic, ready to call Campbell, when I spy a girl with blond curls over by the fence with minimal lighting. A boy is standing over her, yelling into her face, and all I see is red.
Dropping everything in my arms, I take off running, grabbing the boy’s arm and ripping him away from Willow when I finally reach her.
“Willow, are you okay?” I ask, holding her face in my hands. She’s trembling, but she manages to nod her head anyway.
Turning to the boy, I straighten up and glare at him. “I don’t know who you think you are, but you’d better leave before I call the cops.”
“Go ahead, lady. That’s my girlfriend, and we were just talking. Weren’t we, Willow?”
Willow sniffs and nods, her face pale but recovering. “Yeah, we were just talking. You didn’t have to burst in. I had it handled.”
The way she is looking at me says otherwise, though. I turn back to the boyfriend in question, staring him down with ice in my gaze.
“I don’t care who you are. You need to leave. She may be your girlfriend, but she is my daughter. So I’ll trump you when the police arrive.”
The kid looks at Willow, but she’s avoiding his gaze too. “Just leave, Cam. We’ll talk later.”
“Fine,” he says, stomping off. “But don’t be blowing up my phone. I won’t answer.”
He stomps off without a glance back, and Willow slumps against the fence.
“Are you sure you are okay? Do you want to go home?”
Willow’s face morphs from sad to angry in the blink of an eye. “No, I don’t want you to take me home. I’m not a child. I had it handled. You didn’t need to butt in. And don’t go telling Campbell about this either. Cam and I had a fight. Couples fight.”
She stomps off in the direction of the bleachers, leaving me to watch after her with an ache in my chest and a hole in my stomach. No one warned me that being a mom means you worry all the time, but that’s what I’ve done since I found out Willow is alive. And I have a feeling that I’ll do that for the rest of my life, too.
With a sigh, I walk back to the concession stand line to replace the stuff I threw, but this time, I don’t use Campbell’s money. I use my own.
Willow asked me not to tell Campbell about her and Cam’s fight, and I won’t—at least not tonight—because he’s been looking forward to this night with her all week. I don’t want to ruin that.
Chapter 37
Ivy
MJ’s house is beautiful with wooden shutters, white siding, and a wrap-around porch. It’s warm and welcoming. Everything my grandparents’ home never was. Nerves shake my hand as I reach out, ringing the doorbell. MJ and Lily both texted me this morning, begging me to come over for their spa day. I’d thought about saying no because I was nervous, but as I sat in that huge mansion alone, I realized that if I plan on staying here in Benton Falls, things have to be different from what they were before. Campbell can’t be my only friend. So I forced myself out the door to make new friends—something I’ve never been good at.
MJ opens the door with a bright smile, easing some of the tension in my shoulders. “Ivy, I’m so glad you decided to come. We’re going to have so much fun. Lily’s already in the living room.”
