Page 38 of Never Quiet

Chapter Eight

July 2015 (Age 17)

On her birthday, her dad told Amanda they were going to make the trip with her to Florida and stay for three weeks. Long enough that Morgan and Harrison decided to take Callie down as well.

She was excited to introduce everyone to the Hardings.

Three weeks after her seventeenth birthday, Amanda rode her mare to relax and think about things. She’d graduated in December, a year and a half early and received her Associates.

The next step was harder. She was trying to decide on the right school. All the ones that fit her field of interest were on the coasts, at least a thousand miles from her family.

Once she started, it would take a lot of time as well as intense focus and dedication. Heather was only four. She’d be a teenager by the time Amanda completed her education. Her little sister would be in high school herself.

While she thought through some things, she worked for her grandmother and spent time with the people she loved.

In the last year, she’d been trying to decide what she truly wanted. Maybe she’d get some clarity during her annual trip to the Keys. Chaz was great at boiling things down, simplifying them so they were easier problems to tackle.

Earlier that morning, her dad showed her the bungalow he rented half a mile from Chaz and Shawn’s house that was big enough for her parents, Heather, Jan, and Terrance.

“Uh, aren’t you forgetting someone?” she’d asked with her hand on her hip. “No bed for me?”

“Are you going to sleep there?”

“Well, um, probably not.”

“We’re trying not to cramp your style. Still, you’re leaving soon and we wanted a ridiculous family vacation together.” He stroked his hand over her head. “You hang out with your friends as usual and we’ll keep Heather on a schedule. We’ll see you every day.”

Hugging her dad, she rested her cheek on his chest. “How far you’ve come, Dad. From women sneaking out of your room on a walk of shame to keeping my little sister on a schedule. You’re doing great.”

“Oh, sweet lord,” he moaned.

“I’m going to finish packing. We leave day after tomorrow! You’re going to love deep-sea fishing and diving.”

While she finalized her packing, she wondered what Zoe would think about Erick. Twenty now, he’d probably changed a lot.

Every summer she returned to the Keys, she spent her days in sunshine and salt water, her evenings watching the couples interact around a fire on the beach, and her nights listening to the sound of the waves hitting the shore through the window.

Erick had been gone for a while and Davis was embarking on a new journey that would make it harder to get away.

Yet, she was uncertain about any step to make in her own life. She couldn’t shake a cloud that hung over her, simply there but undefined. She loved her life and the people in it…but she didn’t feel safe and she didn’t feel like they were safe.

Two days later, she jumped from the back of the rental SUV, and ran at Davis. He’d been waiting for her in the driveway of Shawn and Chaz’s house on the mainland off Biscayne Bay.

Even taller than the last time she saw him, she hugged him tight as he spun her in a circle.

“You got so tall! The drive took forever!” She could barely talk as hard as he shook her. “I’m gonna vomit, you fiend!”

Laughing, he put her on her feet. “Girl, I thought you’d never get here.” They linked arms and walked to the cargo hold of the vehicle where he greeted her aunt and uncle. “Was she obnoxious?”

No-No rolled her eyes. “Of course. I wanted to sedate her but was told by all parties that it was irresponsible.” She put the last word in air bunnies and Davis snorted. To Amanda, she added, “Your dad is waking Zoe and Heather up. Don’t wait for us.”

“I don’t know how they sleep in a car,” Amanda mumbled. “Out cold like they’re in their own beds. I’d be afraid to miss something.”

“Jan and Terrance are heading down in the other vehicle to set up the house in the Keys so…you’ll see them tomorrow. Maybe.” Noel wiggled her brows.

Amanda mouthed, “I knew it!”

Grabbing her duffel bag, she let Davis half-drag her up the driveway and into the house. By the time she was violently hugged by Shawn and Chaz, her family was walking through the door.

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