Page 43 of Next Level
Sam squeals with excitement.
There’s my Sammie girl.
We get our doughnuts and sit at a table. When Sam’s across from me, I reach into my sweatshirt and pull out her new phone.
Sam’s eyes go wide.
“Pops. You got me a new phone?” She practically shouts.
“Yeah, they found your other one at Garrett’s house, but I thought you needed a new one.”
She smiles as tears well in her eyes.
“Don’t cry, Punkin. It’s just a phone,” I say softly. “But you’re still grounded.”
She huffs.
“I was waiting for that talk to come,” she says in a low voice.
I shrug. “Well, it’s going to come sooner than you like, and things are definitely going to change.”
She agrees before taking a bite of her doughnut.
We sit and eat our doughnuts, talking about her phone and other random things. When she mentions Cherry’s name again, my heart constricts.
I rub my chest.
“Pops. You okay?” Sam asks, concerned.
“Yeah, just feel weird about this new thing with Cherry,” I tell her honestly.
“It’s about time, Pops. You need a good woman.”
“How do you know she’s a good woman?”
“Pops, she flew a state over to meet you to help you find your kid. For someone she didn’t even know.”
“Anyone with a good heart would do that. And it was her brother.”
Sam tilts her head, looking at me strangely.
“Um, no. Any good person would provide you with the information or contact the local police. No one would actually go on a chase with you.”
“She came for her brother,” I interjected.
“No, she could have sent her parents. She didn’t have to come, and you heard her. She doesn’t even talk to him.”
I sit back in my chair and think about it. Sam’s right. If I were a woman, I wouldn’t fly to another state to meet someone I didn’t know.
“Pops. She said so herself.Afterseeing the video of you, she came to you.Hello.She liked youbeforeeven coming here. Luckily, both of you are single.” She takes a drink of soda. “She’ssointo you.”
I beam at my kid, hoping she’s right.
ALMOST THERE
We decided to stop for the night once we crossed over the California border. We only have five to six hours left before we’re home, but I was too tired to keep driving, so we’re staying at a hotel in Yreka.
After Voodoo Doughnut, Sam called Amanda and spoke with her briefly. When she called Brooke, things got a little tense, but Sam handled it well. She knows she’s in trouble for getting in the car with the boy, but again, she’s young and trusted him.
