piles and tosses half of it in my gift bag. The gesture warms my heart.
“I would invite you over, but it’s not a good time.”
“I’m fine, Alma.” He places his hand on my knee. “Plus, with Quinn gone for a couple of weeks, I can get caught up on my reading.”
“Your reading?” I raise a brow with a smirk.
“I mean … have I read every book in the world? No.” He chuckles and gathers his crocheted gifts in his arms. “I can drop you off.”
“Thanks.” I leave my journal on my bed but make sure to grab the bag of candy before heading out. “Speaking of books, you should’ve seen Leo’s parents’ library.”
“Incredible?”
“Oh, yeah. We’re talking Beauty and the Beast amazing.”
“Really?” His curiosity is piqued. “Disney quality?”
I nod, my eyes wide. “Yes, and … they don’t even use it!”
We exit the building and walk toward Amos’s car.
“That’s a shame.”
“I know, right?”
TWENTY-EIGHT
Alma
I pull a long breath of the cool night air into my lungs, the crispness refreshing. Turning the door handle, I step inside.
“I’m back,” I say into the foyer and kick off my boots.
A handful of gifts sits beneath the Christmas tree, the reflection of the lights bouncing off the shiny paper. I completely forgot that Leo and I still have gifts to exchange. A large smile finds my lips.
“Leo,” I call out.
I do a quick scan of the main level before heading up the stairs. When I reach the top and look for him, I find he’s not in his bedroom or bathroom.
“Leo!” I search through all of the spare rooms and come up empty.
Maybe he ran out to grab some food.
I shoot him a quick text.
Hey, babe. I’m back. Where are you? xo
I return to my reindeer jammies and snuggle under a blanket on the sofa while flipping through the DVR. There are a few holiday shows and cartoons that we’ve yet to watch. I turn on one of the old original holiday cartoons. Leo said that he’s not a fan, as the Claymation characters freak him out, so I know he won’t mind if I watch it without him.
When I don’t hear back from Leo, I call his cell phone, and I’m sent straight to voice mail. I’ve been back for an hour now, and there’s been no word from him. I’m starting to get worried. His Porsche is missing from the garage, so wherever he went, he drove. Given the snowy state of the roads and the fact that a sports car doesn’t have the best traction on slick pavement, it adds another level of worry.
“Where are you, Leo?” I grumble and click off the TV.
Leo was right; those Claymation cartoons are just creepy.
I text Leo several more times and send a few texts to Ethan as well. I don’t know what else to do.
Around midnight, Ethan calls me back.
“Hey! Do you know where he is?” I screech into the phone.
“No. I haven’t heard from him today. When’s the last time you saw him?” Ethan asks.
I tell Ethan about me leaving for an hour to meet up with Amos and coming back to him gone.
“So, you both went to his parents’ today?”
“Yeah, earlier.”
“How’d that go?” he asks with a tone indicating that he already knows.
I tell him everything.
There’s a sigh on the other end of the line. “Alma, he’s fine. He’ll be back at some point.”
“What do you mean, at some point? Where is he? You don’t think he’s in danger? I shouldn’t call the cops?”
There’s silence on the other end of the line, save for Ethan’s quiet breaths. I’m under the impression that he’s keeping something from me.
“What is it? Please tell me, Ethan. I’m literally freaking out with worry,” I plead.
Ethan sighs. “Alma … it’s not really my place. All I’ll say is that, he does this, and he’ll be back.”
“He does this?” I snap. “What does that mean?”
“His dad has a way of setting him off and getting under his skin. Leo has been known to take off for a few days after a confrontation. Their relationship is toxic, and Leo doesn’t always … handle it the best. I wouldn’t worry. He’ll be back. He just has to cool off.”
“He just left without telling me. Where would he go? What is he doing? This doesn’t make any sense.”
“I’m sorry. Leo’s life is complicated.”
“Yeah, I get that, Ethan, but how am I not supposed to worry about him? And why would he just leave without a word or a note or anything?”
“I’m really sorry,