Page 109 of Save Me

“You didn’t enjoy living in Missouri. You kept saying how much you missed home.”

“I know, but…”

“And before that, you didn’t really enjoy living in Texas.”

“Yeah, but that was only because…”

“You can’t keep moving from state to state every other month, Fallon,” her mother gently chided. “It’s not practical and it’s got to be costing you a fortune in moving expenses and fees for breaking your rental agreements on these apartments. Maybe this is a sign that you should move back home and look for positions there.”

It wasn’t the worst idea, but she hated returning home looking like a loser.

A broke loser at that.

“Hi, Fallon! It’s Kate,” Mrs. Donovan said, as if Fallon wouldn’t be able to tell who was speaking. “I know your sisters aren’t there, but you know all of my kids are close by if you need anything. Don’t hesitate to reach out to any of them.”

She had grown up with the Donovans and all the kids were close in age. Both Arianna and Ryleigh Donovan were good friends, and she always enjoyed seeing them when she went home to visit. On one of her last trips home, she had seen Ryleigh’s fiancé’s new tattoo parlor and it had been amazing. But as much as she like them all—well, most of them—they all had their shit together and currently she most certainly did not.

Still, if she had to sit and wallow in self-pity anywhere, the comfort of her childhood home would be preferable.

“Thanks, Kate. I’ll keep that in mind.” She paused. “Listen, I should go. I’ve got a lot to do and think about, but I hope you all have a fabulous trip. Where are you off to today?”

“Today we’re going to stop in Birmingham and hopefully make it to Memphis tonight. We’re going to spend a day or two there before moving on,” her mother said. “But I want you to promise me something.”

No doubt it was going to be something like promising to not let this get her down or to focus on the positive…something uplifting.

“Sure, Mom.”

“If you go to our place, make sure you pay attention to the alarm—setting it and turning it off. Otherwise it will send alerts to our phone and make us nervous.”

“Um…”

“I’ll text you all the info on the codes if you need it. I hate sending it over a text or email because you never know who’s tapping into our personal information.” She sighed. “We left the information with Ronan. If you decide to go home, why don’t you stop by the pub first and talk to him? He’ll give you everything you’ll need and no one will be listening in and stealing our identities.”

Good lord…

“Mom, I don’t think…”

“I’m not taking any chances, Fallon. You never know how these things happen, so the less I put those numbers and words out into the universe, the safer I’ll feel.”

Now it was her turn to sigh. “Um…yeah. Great. I’ll swing by the pub. I’m guessing Ronan will be there full-time running the place, huh?”

“It’s Kate again, Fallon! Hi!” Kate called out. “Actually, Jamie’s running the place for us while we’re gone. We’re all a little nervous about it, but Shane says it’s time to give him a chance. I’m not sure I’m as confident in that, but…here we are.”

“O-kay…”

“But you know Ronan’s only five minutes away, so if you get to the pub and he’s not there, anyone can reach him for you.”

“Just make sure he meets you in person,” her mother chimed in, “and doesn’t just give you the information over the phone! Promise me you’ll only get the codes from him if you’re face to face!”

“Mom, why are you freaking out so much over this? I’m sure everything is going to be fine and…”

“Fallon? This is your father.”

She hung her head and inwardly groaned.

“Hi, Dad…”

“Can you just please do what your mother is asking? Can’t you tell how nervous she is about being gone for such a long time? Is it too much to ask that you respect our wishes?”

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