About Tomorrow - Abbi Glines Page 0,76
getting manicures”
“Our summer is running out. I don’t want to give you up all day.” His words made me sad. He was right and I hated the reminder. I also hated Nashville and being away from him. I’d begged Mom and Gran to let me finish my last year of high school in Portsmouth. Gran had agreed easy enough, but my mother was being more difficult.
There was always a good chance she’d give in though. “I may not have to leave this summer,” I reminded him.
His hand grabbed mine. “God, I hope not. Having you all year would be fucking incredible. I’m just scared to get my hopes up.”
When we reached the house, he opened the door for me then pressed a quick kiss to my lips. “Go do girl things with Cora. When you’re done, you can find me in the game room.”
I nodded then flashed one more smile his way, before heading to the stairs that led to Cora’s bedroom.
“Hey, Sailor Moon,” he called out and I looked back at him. “I love you.”
His words sent a warm jolt of joy through me. He said it often now, but it never lost its power.
“I love you most,” I replied, then hurried up the stairs before he could argue that.
High on love, I swung open Cora’s bedroom door and announced “I’m here!” but realized she wasn’t. Her Jetta was outside in the driveway, so she wasn’t gone. I started to turn and go look for her in the rest of the house when I noticed a pill bottle on the floor and went over to pick it up.
My eyes went from the bottle to the other bottle beside her bed that was sitting on top of a letter. The writing was Cora’s and I didn’t want to invade her privacy, but I felt like it was a letter meant to be seen. I reached for it, and as I read the words, my stomach knotted up in fear.
I then saw the other bottle laying on her bed just under the pillow. Grabbing it and the one on the floor, I took the letter and ran from the room to find Creed. He was in the game room when I came barreling through the door.
“Sailor?” he asked, standing up from the sofa when he saw the look of horror I knew was clearly on my face.
“Cora,” I said, handing him the letter as the pill bottles fell at our feet. “Oh god,” I said as my hands shook uncontrollably.
Creed read the letter then looked at me. “Where is she?” he asked me. I saw the same fear spiraling out of control inside me reflected in his eyes.
“She’s not in her room,” I said then I knew. I knew where she had gone. It was where we always had gone as kids. She loved to go there to be alone and to tell me her wild adventures with boys. It was somewhere no one would look for us when we were younger.
Now, it was also where Creed and I went to have sex. “The barn,” I blurted out. “She would go there.” I was sure of it.
Creed broke into a run and I was right behind him. He swung open the door of the house, and we both raced outside, not bothering to go to the car but heading across the street and through the neighbor’s yard. It was faster than driving. Horrible scenarios played out in my head and I refused to accept them. We would find her alive and stop her before she took the pills. The only problem with that hope was the bottles had already been emptied.
The faded red barn came into view on the abandoned property that remained in a trust belonging to some family in New York. In all the years of coming here, I’d never seen any of them here. The closer we got to the barn, the harder my heart slammed against my chest. She had to be alive.
“CORA!” Creed called out before we reached the two large doors that were firmly closed. “CORA!” There was a wild panic to his voice as he yelled out her name again.
Before he opened the doors, I knew. It was as if she was there with me, preparing me. The hope I’d had running here was gone. Snatched from me. I wanted to scream at the reality that was sinking in.
Creed jerked the door open and was inside several seconds before I reached the barn. I