Page 149 of Between Never and Forever
All of us?
The text bubbles pop up, then disappear, then pop up again.
If Sharon wants to come, she can.
Okay
“Let’s head to the truck,” I shout over the music to Brynn and Sharon.
They nod and turn to follow me.
When we reach Sav’s rental a few blocks from downtown, Red is already waiting at the gate. He lets us in and gestures for us to park in the garage. Sharon is nervous and fidgeting with her hands, but when I ask her if she’d rather leave, she shakes her head no.
It’s two hours passed Brynn’s bedtime, but you couldn’t tell it from how energized she is. She’s going to crash hard, though. I already know it.
“Hey guys,” Sav says as we follow Red into the house. Brynn, then Sharon, then me.
Sav’s leaning on the kitchen island, a notebook sitting open next to her, and Jonah, Mabel, and Torren are all hanging out around her. She looks happy. They all do, except for Jonah. He looks...blank. Tired.
Brynn takes a few steps toward Savannah and then—bam!—tackled by Ziggy. Savannah lets out a groan-like laugh as Brynn starts giggling. That dog is a menace.
“Good god, Ziggy,” Mabel says. “Sav, you need to put that mutt back in obedience school.”
“She got kicked out the first time,” Torren says. “She’ll just get kicked out again.”
Sav shrugs.
“She does what she wants anyway.” She looks at Red and winks. “Like her momma.”
“Trouble,” Red says and Sav laughs.
“Fun sucker.”
Jonah bends down and shoves Ziggy off Brynn, then grabs both her hands and pulls her to her feet. Brynn’s mouth is dropped wide open, her eyes the size of fucking dinner plates. She’s starstruck.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
Jonah smiles with a nod, then throws himself down on the couch without a word. When I look at Savannah, she’s staring at him with a furrowed brow. Then she looks at Torren, and he shrugs. She’s worried about Jonah. From the look of Mabel and Torren, they are, too.
“Is thatthenotebook,” Brynn says, breaking the tense silence. “The lyric notebook?”
Sav laughs, then slides it behind her back on the counter.
“Sure is. No, you can’t see it, so don’t even ask.”
Brynn’s lips purse and Mabel gives her shoulder a nudge.
“She won’t even let us see it, kid. Don’t feel bad.”
“Oh shit! I forgot to introduce you guys,” Sav says suddenly. “Guys, you might remember Levi, but this is Boss, and, um, that’s...That’s Sharon. My, um, mom.”
Savannah flinches on the word, but wipes it away quickly, and I can feel Sharon’s discomfort radiating off her. She waves awkwardly. Luckily, Red breaks in and takes the attention off her with a question directed at Brynn.
“What’s the word today, Boss?”
Brynn grins immediately.
“Gamut. Noun. A range or series of related things.”
