Page 27 of Heart Strings & Hotlines
“It’s not like I’m going to leave the fairgrounds. It’s a twenty-minute drive back to the house.”
The volcano that resides in my chest starts bubbling. “Forgive me, Kara. But you ran away when I was in the same house as you. How do I know you won’t take off again?”
“You trust her.” Rafe steps into our little circle while Kara stares at me with a red face and misty eyes.
Jesus. Teenagers are erratic.
“I said I wouldn’t sneak out again.”
The first hints of lava erupt in my rib cage.
“I was terrified, Kara. I couldn’t even breathe right for three days. I don’t ever want that sensation again.”
Her mouth hangs open, and I flash Rafe the side-eye when she doesn’t say anything.
“You were scared?” she says it so quietly that I barely hear her. “You don’t even want me.”
Who told her I didn’t want her? Lava flows through my veins, and my narrator starts counting to keep the volcano from exploding.One, two, three, and four. Two, two, three, and four. Three, two, three, and fourbefore he moves to the background of my mind to continue the sequence.
“I never said I didn’t want you, Kara.” Why would she even believe that? If I didn’t take her in, she would have ended up in foster care. Obviously, I’d never allow that to happen. She must know this.
“You didn’t have to.” Her voice rises, and she sticks out a stubborn chin. “Dad didn’t care about me either, so why the hell wereyouscared? All you care about is that I don’t disrupt your quiet, boring life and stay out of your way. All Dad cares about is public perception. None of that is caring.”
A warm hand touches my back, and the lava recedes.
“Everything okay?” Lottie might be speaking to the both of us, but she’s staring at Kara.
“He’s punishing me for sneaking out. Again. As if moving here wasn’t bad enough, now I’m not allowed out of his sight.”
Tilting my head toward the sky, I listen to my narrator do another round of counting in 4/4 time, hoping the ringing in my ears will stop soon. My baby sister can be loud when she wants to be.
When I can hear again, I lower my chin and stare at my sister. “Kara, that’s not what I said. Why must you twist everything that comes out of my mouth?”
Turning to Rafe, I expect him to jump in, to help, to do something, but it’s Lottie who enters the fray.
“I heard, Kara.” If everyone sounded like Lottie, I wouldn’t have an issue with tone. “But to me, it sounded like Thane was explaining why it’s hard to let you explore, and to be honest, you’re the one who broke the trust, so it’s up to you to fix it. It totally sucks, believe me, but this is one of those lessons most of us learn the hard way.”
“I never said you were under lock and key,” I grumble. “I said I need to know that you won’t run away again.”
Lottie’s gaze flashes my way, and a different volcano erupts, heating every inch of my skin. “If it makes you feel any better, no matter where she goes in town, someone will have eyes on her. That’s the joy and annoyance of living in such a small town.”
I study our surroundings one more time.
“Mrs. Perez is the organizer.” Lottie laughs, and my muscles unclench. “And all the Scuttlebutts are scuttling around. Trust me, there will be more people watching Kara than you could imagine.”
Kara groans and mutters something about privacy. But as I remove my hands from my pockets and she spots the wallet I’m holding, she snaps her lips closed.
“You have one hour.”Is that too long?“Then you have to meet me…” On the far end of the outer booths is a sign for coffee. “At the coffee counter over there. One. Hour.”
She lunges for the money I’ve separated for her, but I quickly pull it out of reach.
“One hour, Kara. Understand?”
The eye roll on this kid is unrivaled.
“Yes, Brad.” Another eye roll, but this time I hand her three twenty-dollar bills and she’s gone before I can say anything else.
“What will she even buy here? Strange soaps made of sheep’s milk?” Shaking my head, I tuck my wallet away.
