hurt, alone, or lost ever again. That was her happily ever after.
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ONE
With her headphones on, Tess Anderson couldn’t hear her mother’s words. From the corner of her eye, she’d been watching her pacing for a while. With pacing, came muttering. Always.
Her mom, Anne, was on edge about something. That wasn’t exactly a revelation. When was she not? Throughout Tess’ life, her mom forever had something on her mind.
That wasn’t to suggest they didn’t have a happy life. There were times Tess had almost been able to forget. Sometimes they would relax and let themselves live for a while. It never lasted. Inevitably, they’d return to the only life Tess had ever known: on the move, starting over somewhere new.
Humoring her mother was Tess’ full-time job; though it didn’t pay enough for them to live on. To make money, she used the various skills she’d acquired through the years. At that moment, her fingers were working hard to finish clients’ alterations with her sewing machine. Once they were done, she’d bundle the apparel up with the knitting and crocheting she’d already done. Then it would be on to delivering the altered garments to her customers and the wool items to the store who sold them on consignment. Time was running short; Tess didn’t want to be late for her shift slinging drinks at a nightclub. So it wasn’t that she didn’t care about what her mother was saying, just that she was on a clock.
Her mom was everything. They were all each other had. Growing up, Anne taught Tess how to survive. That started with impressing on her the importance of learning a skill. Not just one, but as many as one could master. Wasn’t like she had much else to do.
Tess couldn’t say her upbringing wasn’t “normal” because it was. Normal for her anyway. Her normal didn’t look anything like the lives of characters on TV and in movies. There were no big family holidays. No high school prom or eating in the lunchroom. Tess didn’t have friends, not then, not now. Distance was important for perspective. Getting too close could mean problems or reluctance when it came time to leave. It would always come time eventually.
Whenever she had colleagues, Tess did her best to fit in without forming attachments. Her best was damn good too. No matter what happened, ever, fitting in was the most important thing.
Always smile. Never stick out. Camouflage. Don’t start the fight… though she was allowed to finish it.
Her headphones were yanked from her head. Her mother loomed over her holding them in one hand. “Are you listening to me?”
“I am not listening to you. I’m listening to Prince,” Tess said, switching her focus back to the sewing machine and lowering her volume. “He makes more sense.”
“Please do not mutter at me, I despise the muttering.”
Concentrating on her work, Tess pressed the pedal under foot and ran the last seam into the needle. “Mom, you know I’m no good at subtle. If you want to tell me something, tell me.”
The frustration in her mother’s next exhale was obvious. “Twenty-seven years I’ve been keeping you alive. You know, one of these days, you’ll be responsible for yourself.”
Like she’d never heard that before.
Tess smiled. “Momma didn’t raise no fool.”
It wasn’t until her mother sank into a crouch that Tess really started to pay attention. Anne took her hand from the table, which made her turn to look down into the concern of her mother’s expression.
“Light-Sprite,” she said. “I would never want to worry you.”
In her mom’s times of anxiety, Tess had learned it was a good idea to listen. Although her fears had never come to anything, if Tess didn’t listen, Anne got stressed. Then they’d fight. Arguments would lead to someone storming out. Someone being her… When she was younger anyway. Sometimes her mom would find her, sometimes she’d just go home. Either way, fleeing caused so much damage.
It hurt Tess to see her mother that way, strung out, desperate, devastated. She’d decided years ago that she couldn’t do it anymore. That no matter what, she had to stick around. Even if their way of life was killing her slowly.
All her life they’d lived a vagrant existence, never staying anywhere for long. Changing last names, jobs, cutting ties, disappearing. In all those years, her mother never gave her a full explanation for the need. More than once, she’d wondered about her mother’s mental health, but Anne was never erratic. Her thoughts and decisions were reasoned and calm.
Even if she did have mental health issues, the two of them didn’t have anyone else. Tess vowed long ago that nothing would take her from her mother’s side. The woman loved her. Had raised her completely alone, without any help, and had never endangered her safety.
For the most part Tess liked her life; it was the only one she knew. A few times, when she’d made friends or maybe liked a guy, she’d been sorry when it came time to vanish. But in those times, these days, her arguments were fleeting.
As a child, it was fun to go off on an adventure. To be someone new, something different, anyone she wanted to be. It hadn’t been until Tess was around sixteen that she began to recognize their lives were different. Not everyone isolated themselves and packed up their lives to flee at a moment’s notice.
“It’s time to go, isn’t it?” Tess murmured.
Her mother cupped her face, trying her best to smile. “The things we do for love.”
The song was one of her mom’s favorites. She’d sung it to her as a child. It had been a source of comfort since way back then.
Opening her mouth to take a deep breath, Tess adjusted to begin making plans. “When? Do we have time?”
The moment of hesitation on Anne’s lips hid her smile for just a fraction of a second. “Yes. We don’t have to leave right now.”
“But soon?”
“Soon.”
Time to run errands and work her shift. Soon could mean later that night or the next day. Maybe they’d leave in a week or two. Whenever it was, Anne had just issued the final warning. Her mom was letting her know it was time to say goodbye to yet another city.
© Scarlett Finn
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Also by Scarlett Finn
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LOST & FOUND
LOST
FOUND
MCDADE BROTHERS
ALL. ONLY.
ONLY YOURS.
WRECK & RUIN
RUIN ME
RUIN HIM
GO NOVELS
GO WITH IT
GO IT ALONE
GO ALL OUT
GO ALL IN
GO FULL CIRCLE
EXILE
HIDE & SEEK
KISS CHASE
THE BRANDED SERIES
BRANDED
SCARRED
MARKED
THE KINDRED SERIES
RAVEN
SWALLOW
CUCKOO
SWIFT
FALCON
FINCH
THE EXPLICIT SERIES
EXPLICIT INSTRUCTION
EXPLICIT DETAIL
EXPLICIT MEMORY
RISQUÉ SERIES
TAKE A RISK
RISK IT ALL
GAME OF RISK
HARROW DUET
FIGHTING FATE
FIGHTING BACK
MISTAKE DUET
MISTAKE ME NOT
SLEIGHT MISTAKE
STANDALONE ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
RELUCTANT SUSPICION
RESCUED
STANDALONE CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
GETTING TRICKY
HEIR’S AFFAIR
MAESTRO’S MUSE
REMEMBER WHEN…
RIVALS ON AIR
SWEET SEAS
THIRTEEN
XY FACTOR
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