Bone Dry_ A Soul Shamans Novel - Cady Vance Page 0,79

I wasn’t there.”

“I’m okay. A little shaken up, but okay. Can I come by?”

“Yeah, sure,” he said. “See you soon?”

“Be there in five,” I said.

When I pulled into the driveway, I drank in the Victorian-style wrap-around porch, the tire swing blowing in the breeze and the apples dotting the yard below low-hanging branches. I was surprised to see Kylie’s little blue car sitting by the curb. Nathan hadn’t mentioned she was there. I hesitated in my truck, thinking there had to be a good explanation, but I couldn’t think of any reason his ex-girlfriend would be at his house so early in the morning. Unless…

I shook my head and hopped out of my truck. As I walked up the drive, I wondered if I’d made a mistake in coming here. But then Nathan opened the door and smiled, and all my doubts fell away. He rushed down the steps, and my feet pounded the pavement toward him. When he reached me, he threw his arms around me and pulled me tight to his chest. My feet lifted off the ground as I buried my face in his cookie-scented t-shirt. I closed my eyes, melting in his arms. It felt nice, safe.

He pulled back, let me down and looked into my eyes. “You okay? You look like you haven’t gotten any sleep.”

I realized I was still wearing my crumpled t-shirt from the night before, and during my short stop home I’d forgotten to brush my teeth and wash my face. I patted my frizzy hair self-consciously. I didn’t want to look in a mirror. I knew if I did, I’d see my hazel eyes streaked with red, and under them, dark splotches on my usually pink skin.

“It’s been a long night, and it’s going to be an even longer day. I have to go to Boston again.” Then, I looked over my shoulder at Kylie’s bright blue car and asked the question I was afraid to ask. “Is Kylie here?”

He nodded. “She’s staying here for a couple of days.”

Staying here? My face must have reflected my shock because he pulled me into his arms again.

“We’re just friends,” he said into my hair. “She's going through some family problems right now, and she needs a friend. Her parents are missing.”

Missing? “A girl doesn’t just stay the night with her ex-boyfriend unless she’s hoping something will happen.” The words popped out of my mouth.

He pulled away when the front door opened. I glanced around him to see Kylie standing on the porch, glamorous even in a t-shirt that looked several sizes too big for her. It looked like Nathan’s shirt. The snake around my heart coiled even tighter.

She brushed her perfect, glossy hair out of her eyes and frowned when she saw me. “What’s going on?”

“I’m wondering the same thing,” I said.

“Holly,” Nathan said, lowering his voice. “I swear Kylie and I are just friends.”

“We are?” Kylie asked. Her frown deepened, and she crossed her arms over her chest.

I took a step back, forcing myself not to run as fast as I could away from here. It was all I could do not to let tears ink out of my eyes. After everything that had happened, I couldn’t deal with this right now.

“Looks like you two need to work some things out.” I took another step back, and my feet stumbled on the pavement. “See you later, Nathan.”

“Don’t go.” His green eyes drooped, no smile in them for once.

I shook my head. “I’m not going to stay when you guys clearly need to talk.”

“Why are you going to Boston? Do you need help? This is something about…your mom, isn’t it?” His eyes were pleading with me to stay, and I didn’t understand how he could expect that from me. Not when Kylie was here. Not when whatever was going on.

“Later.” I gave into my urge to run. I turned around and sprang into my truck, jealousy and pain blinding me as I reversed and spun onto the street, pulling away from Nathan, pulling away from the best thing that had happened to me in a very long time.

***

I pulled on my hoodie as I drove down the interstate, windows down and hair blowing in the wind. I pushed in my tape adapter so I could listen to Laura’s old iPod and try to distract myself from what I was about to do. To distract myself from what I’d left behind.

As the mile markers whizzed past, it finally sunk in how stupid what I