Chapter 2 #2
“I’ve gotcha covered. We look to be around the same size,” she offers. “Let me have your number. I’ll send you a text with the address and time to meet up.”
Crap!
She gives me concerned look when I don’t say anything. I start to fidget with my hands as they begin to sweat.
“I—I don’t have a phone,” I finally say. “Yet.”
She nods in understanding, “No worries, here…” Raegan unzips her athletic crossbody bag and pulls out a pen and small piece of paper. She starts to write down something then hands it to me. “Here’s my phone number and the address of my friend’s house. Let’s meet around two.”
“Okay. If I can make it,” I voice.
“I hope you can,” she expresses and then pulls me in for a hug, shocking me. She takes a step back and smiles. “I know that our mothers forced this, but I’m glad we reconnected, Sutton.”
I feel my brows furrow in confusion. “My…mother?”
“Yes.” Reagan pauses, observing me closely. “Karen?”
Of course that’s who she means. Of course Karen would say she’s my mother. In The Fellowship, the wife is mother to all the kids, even the ones that aren’t hers.
“Oh, right. My mom. Karen.” My smile is strained, but I push through. “Me too,” I honestly say. I’m hoping that maybe Raegan will be a pathway to get away from my father and his crazy life.
“Top the girl off,” Ivy yells out as we all soak up the sun in Allison’s pool. She just put her daughter down for her afternoon nap.
I was shocked when I asked Papa if I could hang out with Raegan again.
Of course, he had stipulations and expectations, but he always does.
He also gave me a phone to use, but I have to give it to Karen when I get back this evening.
I also found out that Karen has been playing the role as my mother to Raegan’s mom.
They are the ones holding the Garden Parties and events to keep up appearances for The Fellowship.
They apparently have their fingers in a lot of pies in town.
“I don’t think I should,” I admit, my mind’s starting to feel a little fuzzy like it did the other night at the bar.
“Listen, Pollyanna, I need to ask some hard questions about your family, and I need you to be a little more sloshed than this.” She giggles, and it causes a chain reaction with me and Allison as we follow suit.
“Ask away, though, I don’t think I can say much,” I let slip as Raegan switches out my drink with her mystery trashcan fruity punch. “I’ve been gone for four years.”
Ivy starts peppering me about growing up in The Fellowship.
I give her the best watered down version I can without giving too much away.
The last thing I need is for one of them to slip up and it get back to one of the members, ruining my chances of getting away.
The hot sun beats down and before long we’re on our third cup of trashcan punch, and I’m feeling really good.
“What did you do in South America?” Allison asks as my head starts swimming.
“Slave labor,” I blurt out showing no filter and making them all laugh.
“What?” Ivy screeches.
“They sent me over to dig trenches and large holes in the ground to build underground bunkers to store things,” my tongue freely says.
“How many people were with you?” Raegan asks, knocking back more of the punch.
“I don’t know, maybe thirty? They came from other Fellowship campuses from around the states,” I say.
“And you were there for four years? No wonder you dropped all that weight and packed on muscles,” she remarks, reaching out and squeezing my bicep.
“But you’re back now and don’t have to do that again?” Ivy asks, refilling our cups again.
“Not until Papa decides it or he marries me off to some guy,” I say a little bitter. I’m not going to let that happen, though. I’m getting a job, saving up some money, then leaving.
“As you should,” Allison states, and I didn’t realize I said that last part out loud. “Annie’s little preschool is hiring, you could work there for a few hours a day,” she mentions.
“I’d love that,” I gush. “Thank you.”
I’m not sure how I’ll swing it, but I love kids and have always wanted to work with them.
Allison grabs her phone off the edge of the pool and starts texting. A few moments later a call comes in. She answers then hangs up not long after that.
“Okay, Jenny said that you’re hired! She’s desperate for help.”
“What!” I say shocked.
“She’s great, you’ll love her. She said to come by tomorrow to fill out the paperwork and get your background check processed, then you can get started.”
“Thank you so much,” I express almost in tears. These girls are the nicest people I’ve ever met.
“Now all we need is to get you deflowered?”
“IVY!” Raegan screams then dunks her under the water. We all laugh when she surfaces and coughs up half the pool.
My mind goes back to the night at the bar with the handsome stranger.
“From that look in her eyes, she’s already taken care of her flower,” Allison giggles, calling me out.
“You little tramp,” Ivy mocks, but before I can speak up a group of rowdy men come running from the side of the house in swim trunks, jumping in the pool.
“Ian! Annie is taking a nap, keep it down!” Allison yells at the group.
“Hello ladies.” Her brother swims over to us along with the others.
This should be an interesting day.
We lean on each other as we veer down a few houses from Allison’s place to Raegan’s boyfriend’s home after hours of hanging out in the pool.
We’re all laid out on the couches, drinking bottles of water, and eating pizza after a day out in the sun.
It was just revealed that the guy at the bar I had sex with was Raegan’s ex-boyfriend.
Ivy is having a field day with the information and is in stitches.
“You swear you don’t think less of me or hold any grudge?” I ask for the twentieth time. I hate that I might’ve messed this up just when I was making true friends.
“Sutton, if you want to be with him, then do it, but please guard your heart. His soon-to-be ex-wife is a real piece of work and he has a small kid,” she tells me.
A kid?
“Nothing is going to come of it. First of all, my father would never allow it to happen unless it benefited him or The Fellowship. And secondly, I’m not going to be here long enough to have a real relationship,” I admit.
“Why is that?” Ivy asks as she turns her head to the side to look over at me.
“As soon as I can save up enough money, I’m getting out of here and away from my father. And I need to find my mom.”
“If you need some money, I can help with that,” Raegan kindly offers.
“Thank you, but I can do this. There are going to be some steps I have to take before I can set this in motion.”
Raegan snaps her fingers and says, “Oh!” She jumps up from her seat and rushes out of the room.
She comes back a few moments later. “Here, I thought you could use this.” She hands me a black phone and then some cards.
“It’s an extra I don’t need, and the cards will expire if they don’t get used.
” She shrugs. It’s a prepaid phone and minutes to use that are untraceable.
I feel the sting in the back of my eyes at the kindness she’s shown me after only knowing me for a day.
“Thank you, Raegan.” I grip the phone to my chest. “I’ll find a way to pay you back.”
“It’s what friends do,” she states.