Page 52 of Hit the Ground
I nodded without hesitation. “I haven’t regretted it even once.”
When everyone was finished, I gathered my plate and began stacking others nearby to help.
“Oh, don’t worry about that, Alice,” Elena said, reaching out to take the plate from my hands. “We’ll let the boys handle cleanup.”
“Are you sure?”
She gave a small, elegant shrug. “They eat enough for three people each. They can wash the dishes.”
Jesse took my plate and his, dropped them in the sink, then returned. “Do you want to go outside with me, Ms. Clark? You’ve never seen stars until you see them out here.”
“I’d love that,” I said. “And you know you can call me Alice when we’re not at the library. It feels weird to be formal at your family’s house.”
“Okay.” He shuffled his feet, a grin twitching on his lips. “Okay, Alice. Let’s go.”
Outside, the sky spread out in a velvet-black expanse, thick with pinpricks of silver light. The air was cool, carrying the scent of cut grass and a faint whiff of horses. Silas toddled out behind us in his little cowboy boots and pajama pants, Hannah holding his hand.
“Look, Alice,” Jesse whispered, tilting his face up. “See it? That dusty line across the sky? That’s the Milky Way.”
I tipped my head back and sucked in a breath. “Wow…”
Stars sprayed across the sky like glitter, so dense it was dizzying. Hannah helped Silas plop down on the grass, and he started pointing up with chubby fingers, babbling, “Moon, moon, moon.”
“It’s beautiful,” I agreed, wrapping my arms around myself as a breeze sifted through my hair. “There’s nothing like this where I’m from. We’re lucky to see a singular star in the city.”
I would never get over Wyoming skies. Daytime or night, there was nothing like the endless expanse above. It didn’t make sense the sky could be bigger here, but it was.
“Yeah.” Jesse flopped onto his back in the grass. “My great-grandad taught me all the constellations when I was little. He has a sick telescope. Maybe if we ask him, he’ll bring it out when you’re here next time.”
Hannah lowered herself to sit cross-legged beside her son and leaned back on her hands. “Your great-grandad taught me about the stars too. Do you know what else he told me? If I ever feel disconnected, I should think about how many people before us looked up at the same stars and how many people are looking up at the same sky as me.”
I nodded, feeling my throat tighten. A night like tonight made me feel small but deeply connected at the same time. Like my roots were finally planted, and I was part of something bigger than me.
Suddenly, the front door banged open behind us, making me jump. Cormac stormed out, his shoes hitting the steps hard and fast. His face was dark, jaw clenched so tight, the muscles in his cheek ticced.
“Maccie?” Hannah called. “Everything okay?”
Not answering, he stalked past us across the gravel driveway, climbed into his truck, and slammed the door. The engine roared to life, headlights sweeping over us as he peeled out, tires crunching on the road until his taillights disappeared into the dark.
Silence fell heavy over the yard. Silas blinked up at me, unbothered, then went back to poking at the grass.
“What was that about?” Jesse asked.
Hannah shook her head, worry pinching her brows. “I don’t know. Maccie doesn’t get mad like that. Something must be wrong.” She scooped Silas off the ground and glanced at Jesse. “Come on, guys. Let’s go find out what happened.”
Jesse pushed himself up with a sigh, brushing dirt from his jeans. “Wonder if Dad knows.”
“Probably,” Hannah murmured, already heading toward the house.
I didn’t follow them. It wasn’t my place, and whatever was going on with Cormac was none of my business. I’d already intruded enough for one night.
I slipped around the side of the house to where my car was parked. For a moment, I sat inside it, gripping the steering wheel, something like dread curdling my gut. This night had been so perfect. I wish it wasn’t ending this way, but everything ended—one way or another.
I finally pulled away, letting myself have one more glance at the house in my rearview mirror. The windows glowed bright against the long, dark night.
Then I turned onto the dark road, leaving the Kelly family behind me.
Chapter Twenty
