Page 7 of Believe in Caloosa Springs

“Little over two.”

“Thousand?” I exclaimed. “Henry…”

”Just relax, Porter; let me explain. I would have had to give them my real name and address and all that to get a plan, so I had to do prepaid to remain anonymous. That meant I had to buy the phones up front, but I also paid a full 12 months of service. We have no phone bill, and no way for anyone we currently know to trace us.”

I sighed. “No, that makes sense. It will be nice to not have to worry about paying that bill monthly. Good job.”

Henry glanced over in my direction. “Thanks.”

His voice was genuine, but his smile was weak. I knew he was freaking out. I was, too, in my own right. I guess I’d just had more time to prepare myself to completely leave my entire life behind and disappear into the wind. I think I was still in a little bit of shock that I was actually following through. I was actually going to claim my freedom. My…life.

“Hey, Porter…”

Henry’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. “Yeah?”

“It’s been 11 minutes, hasn’t it?”

“Yeah, bud…” I said, reaching over and squeezing his shoulder. “It sure has.”

Chapter Three

Christian

I pulled the comforter over my eyes and groaned. “We just went to sleep, though…”

“Tian, it’s seven-thirty. Not four in the morning. And I told you last night, you don’t have to go with me. You’re free to stay here and sleep the day away.”

I pulled the covers off my head and stared after Mandy as she turned and walked down the hall.

”I don’t want to be stuck in the house all day.” My words probably weren’t loud enough for Mandy to hear.

Gathering my willpower, I tossed my legs over the side and got to my feet, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. I caught sight of the black smear across my fingers and sighed. I’d clearly fallen asleep without taking my makeup off. Thank the gods for black pillowcases. I padded into the bathroom, getting a good look at myself for the first time. “Yikes.”

I turned on the warm tap on the sink and grabbed a clean face towel from the small wire shelves above the toilet. Once the water was warm, I pumped some cleanser into the palm of my hand and scrubbed my face. Then, I brushed my teeth.

I leaned the top half of my body over the threshold of the bathroom to yell through the house, “Time check?”

“Twenty minutes,” Mandy yelled back. It sounded like she was in the kitchen.

I brushed my hair, which was almost cooperating without having to beat it into submission with my flat iron. I rimmed my eyes in a charcoal color before smudging out the corners with the tips of my finger. No time for concealer or highlight; the liner would have to do. It didn’t really matter, honestly. It’s not like I was going to meet the love of my life today. If I couldn’t manage to do it in Las Vegas, I sure as fuck wasn’t going to start my happily-ever-after in Caloosa-fucking-Springs.

Running back to my room, I grabbed a shirt from the closet. It was black, like 90 percent of my wardrobe, with a wide neck that hung off one shoulder. I liked it because it showed off the top of my tattoo, the tree branches snaking up my shoulder and across my collarbone. It wouldn't be very long before early fall would give way to bitter winter, and short sleeves would have to be packed away to make room for tunics, sweaters and cardigans… and, best of all,boots!

I was a complete sucker for a pair of knee-high leather lace-ups—the kind that looked like they would have been worn 200 years ago by a band of gypsies. I had a few pairs Elvira would kill for, too.

I slid my hand underneath my pillow to grab the velvet cinch-pouch that housed my tarot cards. Pulling the cards out, I shuffled them between my hands for thirty seconds or so before cutting the deck in half and flipping up the top card.

“Hmm,” I mused, examining my draw. It depicted a yellow background with a man being pulled in a cart by two sphinxes; one white, one black. Traditionally, The Chariot, card number seven of the Major Arcana, represented victory and willpower. Overcoming conflicts and moving forward in a positive direction. The duality of the two sphinxes reminds us to appreciate the bad while we run towards the good. An interesting card to pull on my first full day in my temporary safe haven. I closed my eyes and sent up a quick prayer of thanks for the reassurance that I’d made the right decision in coming here, despite the rolling feeling of dread in my gut.

“Ready?”

I turned around to see Mandy framing herself in my bedroom doorway, her purse slung over her shoulder, keys in one hand and a large thermos in the other.

“I thought you said we were getting coffee on the way to the store?”

She shook her head. “We’re getting coffee on the way to thefarm.We have to go there first to help get the new hires situated. Oliver is opening the store so I can be there with Pops and Ty. The thermos is for later.”

“Pops and Ty,” I repeated, raising an eyebrow. “Gee golly, I sure hope Opie and Mavis will be able to make it up from the holler for supper!”

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