Chapter 15
Hannah
I wake with a smile I can’t stop, even as I press the pillow over my face and try to smother it.
Last night replays in pieces – the swing, his words, the way he touched my cheek like it mattered, like I mattered.
The kiss lingers most of all. Tender at first, then deeper, carrying me somewhere I didn’t think I could go again.
I want more. The thought terrifies me, but it’s there. I can’t deny it.
Ivy chatters through breakfast about her jack-o’-lantern cat face and how the wolf pumpkin “scares away the bad dreams.” I let her talk, hiding my own giddiness behind coffee and toasted peach bread. If she notices me smiling more than usual, she doesn’t say a word.
By the time I drop her at school and head to the café, I’ve convinced myself I can keep it together. Bake rolls, prep soup, and inventory the walk-in like it’s just another day. Except every clatter of pans and ring of the front bell makes me think of Levi.
Near lunchtime rush, my phone in my pocket is vibrating repeatedly. I wipe my hands on a towel and answer, not recognizing the number. “This is Hannah.”
“Hannah?” The voice on the other end is the school secretary. Something in her tone freezes my blood. “You need to come right away. There’s a man here asking to pick up Ivy.”
My grip tightens on the receiver. “What man?”
“He says he’s her father. Jake Morrell.”
The name slams into me like a fist. My heart lurches, breath shallow. Jake. Of all the people I never expected to see standing in Ivy’s school office, it’s him.
“He doesn’t have permission,” I say, my voice breaking. “He doesn’t get to …” My words tumble out too fast, panic making my hands shake. “Don’t let him near her. Please.”
“Don’t worry,” the secretary soothes. “We’ve got her in the classroom with her teacher. He can’t take her without written authorization. But it might be best for you to come. He said if he can’t pick her up, then he needs to see you.”
I nod even though she can’t see me, pulse hammering in my ears. “I’m coming. Keep her safe until I get there.”
I end the call and tell Millie I have an emergency with Ivy. I am already untying my apron as I make my way through the restaurant for the door. He walked out on us. He doesn’t get to walk back in and do something like this.