Chapter 19
NINETEEN
With the hope Sloan might eat with me, I use my lunch break as an excuse to bring her the sandwiches I made for her this morning.
It’s clear that she’s still pissed with us, but it’s also evident she’s yearning not to be alone. She’s scared on top of being hurt. I can’t take away the pain right now. That takes time. What I can do—what we can do—is ensure she feels safe and not alone.
North told me she let him run with her this morning, so I’m taking a chance she’ll let me have lunch with her. As I approach the van, ready to knock on the door, it suddenly slides open. I take a step back in surprise when Sloan steps out, and she looks equally taken aback to see me there.
“Hunter?” she asks, her voice a mixture of surprise and uncertainty.
She’s beautiful, dressed in a gray sweater, her blonde hair falling over her shoulders.
She still looks too thin, but at least there’s some color back in her cheeks, and the dark circles under her eyes are not as prominent anymore.
“Hey,” I begin nervously. “I wanted to ask if you wanna have lunch with me? I made some sandwiches for us.”
“Why?” she questions cautiously.
“Because I miss you,” I tell her honestly, though admitting it to her like that makes my heart flip and my palms sweat.
“You’ll get used to it.”
Ouch.
She arches an eyebrow, but I can sense that the fuck-off vibe she’s been radiating for days now isn’t as strong as it was. A little hope stirs in my chest as I ask again, “So, sandwiches?”
“No thanks,” she declines, and my hope deflates just as fast as it came. But then her stomach growls loudly, and she bites her lip before asking, “Does it have cheese on it?”
A smile tugs at my lips as I retrieve the two sandwiches I wrapped from my bag. “It’s an Italian ciabatta sandwich with mozzarella, salami, ham, pepperoni, pesto, and sun-dried tomatoes.”
I’m trying hard not to smile because I can almost see her drooling as she hesitates. “Well fuck, that sounds amazing. Okay, thank you,” she says reluctantly. “I just wanted to go to the restaurant to get some water. We can eat in there?”
I nod, relieved she’s willing to spend some time with me, even if it’s only because I’ve got cheese.
Note to self—always have a block of cheese with me.
We walk to the restaurant with me a step behind her.
As she opens the doors, loud, excited voices reach us.
“She did it for Chelsey and Brad. Chelsey told me about it! And you told me you would ask her. She’s living right outside your door, living on your generosity.
The least she can do is this, for our family, as a thank you. ”
We step inside and are welcomed by the sight of Tally’s aunt berating her, with Tim standing behind Tally, his hands on her shoulders.
“She’s not, and she owes nobody anything,” Tally snaps.
It appears they’ve been arguing for a while now, but they still haven’t noticed our arrival.
“Ladies,” Tim tries, but none of them listen to him.
“She does! She—” Tally’s aunt starts, but Sloan steps up to them and chimes in.
“What’s wrong?” she asks Tally, who looks at her with an apology written all over her face.
“There, she’s here. I’m gonna talk to her directly if you won’t do it for me,” Tally’s aunt accuses before turning to face Sloan, leaving Tally crossing her arms over her chest and scowling. “Sloan, my name is Phyllis, and you’re going to do a reading for me and my husband.”
Who the fuck does she think she is?
My hackles rise as I see how Sloan goes stiff in front of me. I take a step closer, having her back.
“Sloan, you don’t have to do shit. I kept my promise. I won’t arrange any other reading without your knowledge. She just heard what you did for Chelsey,” Tally apologizes, her tone full of regret.
What the fuck did I miss?
Sloan did a reading?
Tally arranged it without her knowing?
Sloan’s rigid posture and fast breathing tell me she’s not happy to have stumbled into this.
“I’m sorry she’s overstepping. You can just walk out,” Tally reassures Sloan, reaching out to grab her forearm.
“Tallulah! Your mother would be ashamed of the way you’re treating your family,” Phyllis accuses, and I have to clench my fists to resist the urge to intervene.
I step next to Sloan now, needing to see her face and be closer if things escalate and I have to get her out of there. But Sloan’s gaze goes to the right of Phyllis, and she is silent for a few heartbeats before she mutters, “Well, Tally’s not the one she’s ashamed of right now.”
Tally, who looked like Phyllis’s low blow hit her just moments ago, now smirks slightly.
Oh, so we’re talking with Shannon too?
I wonder how many spirits and ghosts are lingering around and how many of them Sloan can talk to. What I wonder most is what she said about Saylor being there, but it’s just not the right time to ask.
There are so many things I want to ask her about this, about her.
I want to know everything that goes on in that pretty head of hers.
It took me until now to figure out that she likes cheese.
What else don’t I know? What else makes her tick?
But I can’t ask all those questions until she at least doesn’t look at me with so much hurt anymore.
“You know I need to talk to him. It’s important, Tallulah!” Phyllis is getting louder by the second, and her shrill tone hurts my ears.
Not even Lio has been able to do that since he was out of diapers.
“Yes, you said that, Phyllis, but I don’t understand what’s so important or urgent now. He died ten years ago!” Tally shoots back.
Sloan is still looking to the right where Phyllis is standing, taking deep breaths before she nods slightly.
“It’s fine, Tally. If it’s that important, I can talk to Robert for her.” Sloan smiles at Tally, though it’s forced, and I can practically feel her anxiety rising and see her pulse racing at her throat.
She’s doing this for Tally and hates every second of it.
I can tell by her white knuckles while she presses her fingernails into her palms.
She’s hurting herself.
Without thinking, I reach out and grab her hand, open her fist, and intertwine our fingers. Sloan looks down at our hands, then up at me. I just give her a small smile, trying to convey all I want to say with my gaze.
You’re not alone.
You’re safe.
I’ve got your back.
She nods but doesn’t smile back. She doesn’t pull her hand away, either, so I take it as a win.
“See? That wasn’t all that difficult like you made it sound, Tallulah. We just needed to ask—” She cuts herself off before turning to face Sloan again. “How do you know his name?”
Sloan just shrugs, and although I know by now that her indifference is masking the turmoil inside, I have to suppress a laugh at her attitude. “He’s here.”
Well, that sent a shiver right down my spine. I figured ghosts are not the creepy things we see in movies, or at least I think they’re not, but still. Knowing that at least one is here right now is a lot. And she deals with this every day.
Phyllis is looking around frantically. “Bob?”
“Let’s sit down, shall we?” Tim suggests, and I almost forgot that he’s here too.
Sloan pulls on her hand, so I let her go, even though I don’t want to.
Story of my life.
She and Phyllis sit at a table while Tally, Tim, and I sit at the one beside theirs. I choose the seat nearest to Sloan, and she turns to look at me. “You sure you want to stay for this? I asked you to come inside to eat, not watch the crazy one work.”
I know it’s meant as a dig, but I just smile. “Nowhere I’d rather be.”
She nods and turns again, facing Phyllis. “Okay, let’s do this,” she says, taking a deep breath.
Tally whispers to Tim and me, “The fact that we can witness this, see her do that… it’s mind-blowing.”
Tim nods, and I get a glimpse of how the guys and I should have acted around her and how we should have reacted when she told us what she can do.
Not doubt.
Not mistrust.
Awe.
“Robert tells me you’re still not sure about this, that you asked for a sign, so you know he’s really here,” Sloan starts, her voice soft.
Phyllis’s eyes go wide. “I did!”
Watching her do that, Tally is right. It’s impressive.
Sloan bites her lip before she replies, “He says he has no sign for you, but he knows why you want to speak to him, and he’s not pleased.”
Huh?
Phyllis’s eyes go wide, and she starts to sputter, “N-not pleased? Bob, don’t you m-miss me?”
Sloan is silent again, seemingly listening to what Bob is saying. My eyes fix on her beautiful face, studying every little expression that washes over her.
“He says that he misses you very much, but you’re not here for him. You’re here for something that does not belong to you, and he can’t help you with it,” Sloan answers, and I watch as she pulls her hands to her lap, wringing them.
She’s nervous.
And I have a bad feeling about this.
“Why are you talking in riddles? What are you even saying? Are you trying to make a fool out of me?” Phyllis accuses, and I tense up.
I never liked this bitch.
Sloan lets out a long breath, squaring her shoulders.
“Okay, fine, let me tell you how it is. Robert rented a bank deposit box when Tally was born since he’s her godfather, and he started to put money in it over the years.
He wanted to gift the box to Tally at her wedding, but he died shortly before and couldn’t tell her that the box was for her.
And for ten years now, you’ve been searching for the key to that box to get the money that’s not yours. ”
Tally gasps before silence falls over us.
Holy shit.
Phyllis shakes her head, her voice tinged with frustration.
“I don’t know what game you’re playing, girl, but this is absurd.
That box was ours, and the money inside is rightfully mine.
Yes, I wanted to know where the key is since I can’t find it, but it was never intended for Tallulah. That was our savings box.”
Sloan is silent again while Phyllis curses under her breath, grabbing the purse she put on the chair beside her.