Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 106839 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 534(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106839 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 534(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
I put up both my hands in surrender. “Fine. You’re a grown-up.” Then I turn and walk back to the kitchen.
I guess I should get used to this because twelve leads to thirteen and from there, his childhood is pretty much over. I don’t like it, but there’s nothing I can do to stop it. As a teenager, I had it easy because I am the youngest of five. Four brothers came up in our house before me so my mama and daddy had lots of practice by the time I turned sour.
They let me be, mostly. Which, in retrospect, might’ve been a mistake.
Except I cannot call my son a mistake.
And just as I think that, he appears, smiling and hungry. Like our little interaction never happened.
Twenty minutes later Cross’s bowl is clean and it’s not even dark yet. So of course he wants to go back outside and squeeze in every bit of summertime he can.
Which I do not object to. But I call out the rules from the front porch as he takes off running down the street anyway. “Cross Harlow! You be home when those streetlights come on!”
There’s a faint, “I will,” response as he turns the corner, heading up the hill towards the Revival ground. That’s where the kids mostly hang out because there’s a private park in the back of the tent, right near the river, where no tourists can go but every kid in Disciple is welcome.
I go back inside, sighing. Then clean up the kitchen, take off my apron, and decide that I deserve a long, hot bath to cap off such a fine day.
Even though I’ve lived here in Lowyn’s house for a couple months now, I still get a little flutter of excitement as I climb the stairs because this place is truly something out of a catalogue. And I can’t help but think about that as I enter the room. And then, of course, I have to count my blessings because there is such a thing as too blessed, and when this happens, that’s when karma catches up.
This sentence is literally still playing in my head when I spot it on the bed.
At first, I can’t make sense of what I’m seeing. And then, after I fully comprehend what it is, I can’t remember if it’s supposed to be here or not.
Because it’s a thing that is both familiar and out of place at the same time, so my brain is muddled for a good ten seconds before it finally puts all the pieces together.
My stomach sinks. It’s that hollowed-out kind of sinking stomach that comes with terrible news. And this is terrible news because on my bed, propped up right against my pillow, is a piece of paper and on that piece of paper is a crossword puzzle.
I look around real slow. Like whoever left this here might still be close.
Then I take out my phone, snap a picture, and run my ass back down those stairs and right out on to the porch, the whole time looking for Amon’s contact in my phone. I keep walking when I get outside, all the way out to the sidewalk. Then I stand there, staring at this too-cute fairytale house, and nearly come undone when Amon answers.
“Hey, Rosie, what—”
But I interrupt him. “Someone was in my house, Amon! Someone was here and left me a crossword puzzle on my pillow!”
“Where are you?”
“Outside. On the sidewalk.”
“Where’s Cross?”
“Revival Park, I think. He went that direction about ten minutes ago.”
“Walk up there and get him and I’ll meet you at the Revival tent in twenty minutes.”
The call drops and I take a deep breath.
Erol. It had to have been him. And if he was in my house, then he’s… here.
Suddenly, I have an urgent need to find my son, so I start running up the hill towards the Revival grounds. I fly through the gates, calling out polite hellos as people greet me, and make my way all the way back to the park where I can see a group of kids hanging out by the river.
I scan the crowd, but I don’t see Cross. I’m about to lose my mind and start yelling his name like a crazy woman when the gang of kids breaks up and there he is in the middle, smiling and laughing like he hasn’t got a care in the world.
My breath comes out in a rush and my whole body relaxes.
He’s safe. And I’m safe. And Amon is coming here to make sure we stay that way.
The drive into Disciple feels like it takes years even though I’m pushing ninety in the truck the whole way and it actually only takes twelve minutes. Of course I have to slow down when I get to town and since it’s Thursday night in the summertime, Disciple is crawling with locals doing last-minute things before the weekend starts tomorrow.