This alarmed me. Like, loads.
“Is there something I should know?” I asked Tom.
“Tomorrow, four o’clock,” Tom replied.
“Yes, but –” I started.
“Four,” Tom said firmly but gently.
I pulled my lips in, wanting to push it. But he’d gone out of his way with dinner, photos, giving me the picture.
So instead of pushing it, I said, “Okay.”
Hector pushed his chair back. “Time for us to go,” he announced.
Oh my.
All thoughts of the weird conversation flew out of my head as Hector pulled me out of my chair.
I tried to give Tom a handshake but he refused it and instead gave me a hug. The hug exchange continued throughout the rest of the group, including Hank (who I barely even knew!).
Then Hector led me out to the Bronco, helped me in, got in the driver’s seat, turned the ignition and we were away.
My overnight bag was in his backseat.
My knees were shaking.
My skin was tingling.
My stomach was in not entirely unpleasant knots.
Blooming heck!
Chapter Fourteen
Sadie’s Gift
Sadie
Hector dropped my overnight bag by the door in his bedroom, walked to the side of the bed and turned on the light.
His eyes came to me. “You need anything?”
I tried to think of something I needed.
Courage? A single personality that knew who she was and what she was about rather than multiple ones who had no idea what they were doing? The true ability to rewind my life and go back to the minute my father was shipped off to prison and move, right then and there, to Crete rather than waiting for my life to unravel and bring me to this scary pass?
“No,” I answered.
He started to empty his pockets, dropping stuff on the nightstand.
In a nervous panic, I leaned over and unzipped my overnight bag.
I grabbed my pajamas (white camisole, multiple pastels in plaid on white background drawstring bottoms, more of Buddy’s trip to Victoria’s Secret) and my toiletries case.
“I’m just going to use the bathroom,” I muttered to my bag and took off, out of the room, down the hall, to the bathroom.
Keeping my mind purposefully blank, I changed, pulled my hair in a messy ponytail on top of my head, brushed my teeth, washed my face and put on moisturizer (though, makeup-free was likely not the way to go for the evening’s festivities but, as I mentioned, I was keeping my mind purposefully blank thus, obviously, was not thinking clearly as was not thinking at all and instead acting on autopilot).