Page 22 of Until Presley

“So, she’s a good dog?” my mom asks Presley.

“She’s the best. She protected Morgan and her daughter during a home invasion.”

“Then I’m okay with you remembering my name because of a dog.”

“Thank you. It’s going to take days before the police announce Leah’s name. Her next of kin is her brother, and he’s currently with the WHO somewhere in Africa, last she told me,” Presley says as she sits down, returning to the subject we were discussing before I tried to distract her.

“Where are her parents?” my mom asks, and I turn from the bowl I’m ladling soup into for her.

“Her parents died when she was a teenager. Her older brother has taken care of her since then. She, like me, traveled around the world too.”

“Is that one of the reasons you were so close?” I set down the bowl in front of her. Then I sit next to her and take her hand as I wait for her to answer my question.

She takes a deep breath, and the tears pop up again. “One of them. We also went to college together. She was one of the few people who didn’t look down on me because of my age.”

“What?” My mother leans forward at the table.

“I’m two years younger than most of the students in the doctoral program, and I’m also doing it faster because I work through my summers and will double up my studies. I don’t have anything to focus on but my schooling.”

“Ah.” My mother looks between the two of us, and I know what she’s thinking.

I wonder how long it’s going to take Presley to realize that she’s putting me second, just like her father does to her. Yes, she doesn’t really want this relationship, and I can see it in her eyes that she has an end date for us, but I’m going to convince her that we will never end.

CHAPTER

NINE

PRESLEY

Ispent a week at Ham’s house just trying to forget that I won’t have Leah any longer. For another week, Ham would stay with me here at my house or we’d stay at his house together. We are getting ready for her funeral tomorrow. Her brother, Alan, came into town two days ago. It took authorities over a week to get in touch with him, and then almost another week before he could get here. I’ve been helping him prepare for the funeral. We won’t have a body as her death is under investigation, but he wants to honor her for now before he has to go back to Africa.

This is my first night back in my little house by myself, and I feel so uncomfortable here. Ham wanted to stay, but I told him I needed time alone to process everything. It’s the way I’ve always been. But for the first time, I don’t feel like being alone. I want company. I want Ham, or even Flo. His mother is sweet and kind. When she first hugged me, I was so lost in my head that I didn’t feel the comfort, but then it hit me. She felt like home, like the way my mom used to hug me. I want one of those hugs right now. Flo would hug me every day that I stayed there, and now I’ve become addicted to the feeling.

Looking out the window toward the beach, I stare at the dark water and the moonlight shining on the waves. Normally, this scene would calm me, but tonight, something feels off. My skin crawls with a discomforting sense of being watched. There could be reporters out there, but Ham made sure to check before he left. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch movement and quickly turn in that direction, but there’s nothing there. I swear I saw someone moving along the property.

I walk through the house, checking that all the doors and windows are locked. I’m not sure if it’s the lingering shock of finding out that Leah was murdered and her body dumped in shark-infested waters, or if it’s something else entirely.

Entering my room, I leave the bedside light on and do something I’ve never done before. I seek comfort from someone else. I dial Ham’s cell and wait for him to pick up. He answers but as a video call, and I smile before I click the button to accept.

“Hello, sprite.” He’s lounging back in a chair in the sitting room off his bedroom. That was a room I sat in for hours, just staring off, thinking about Leah.

“Hey, handsome.” I smile into the phone.

“You’re wearing my shirt.” He grins.

I glance down and notice I’m in the T-shirt I borrowed from him. I pull the collar up and inhale, his familiar scent calming me.

“Yeah, it makes me miss you less.” The words slip out, and my eyes almost bulge out as he sits up in his chair.

“Do you need me, Presley?”

I want to say yes, but I don’t want to be clingy. So I shake my head and bite my lip to keep from lying. I do need him.

“Baby, I’d be there if you need me. You said you needed time to mourn before tomorrow, but I’d come instantly if you wanted me.”

“No.” My voice is quiet as I look down, avoiding his gaze, so he won’t know I’m lying to him.

“Presley, please look at me,” he says, and I can hear the demand in his tone. That’s something I really like about him. He doesn’t let me hide myself or my feelings.

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