Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 90164 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90164 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
But rather than fall for that old trick, I laugh. “Oh, yeah, you did. You’re just stubborn, and you made a potentially dangerous choice today, so you’ll have to pay the price for that. I’m not kidding when I say I don’t want you walking around alone.”
“I’m not a baby!”
“Yes, you are,” I shoot back. “You’re my baby, and you’ll do as I say for as long as you live in my house.”
“I want to move in with Grandma.”
I snicker and shake my head, not willing to participate in this conversation any longer.
Damn it, maybe my dad’s right. I need some help.
Chapter Three
Erin
“What are you doing right now?”
I sigh and lie back on my couch, exhausted but happy to hear from my sister. “I just got home from work, and I’m dead on my feet. It’s spring break here, and we’re full of tourists.”
“Interesting.” My baby sister, Zoey, who’s actually less than two years younger than me but I always call her the baby, called to chat. Because she misses me. Of course, just when we were starting to get along better after a childhood of being at each other’s throats, I moved away. “So, you feel a big difference there during tourist season?”
“Yeah, a lot, actually. And I’ve noticed that when people vacation, they kind of lose their minds.”
“What do you mean?”
“They’re stupid. They ask really stupid questions that, when they’re at home, I’m sure they would never ask. Like, ‘Do you wear bear spray to repel the bears?’ or ‘Where do you keep your horses?’ It’s so weird.”
“Now I want to come hang out there and listen.”
“You should. Spend one day in the coffee shop, and you’ll get an ear full. Anyway, enough of that. How are you?”
“I’m fine. I went shopping with Haley and Chelsea yesterday, and we all ended up at a tattoo parlor, and the next thing we knew, we had matching tattoos.”
I pull my phone away from my face and frown at it. “Seriously?”
“Yeah, they’re really pretty. I’m surprised you didn’t see our posts on the ‘gram about it.”
“You know I don’t do social media. Definitely not after what happened when I was in college.” This makes me feel left out and like I’m missing everything back home.
“Erin.” I can almost hear her rolling her eyes. “The stalker thing happened more than five years ago, and you know that Dad took care of it. I understand that you don’t want to have a huge social media presence, but just make up a fake profile so you can lurk and comment on our stuff. You’re too far away to be alienated from all of us.”
I sigh and rub my hand over my eyes. I get that Zoey thinks she understands, but she’s not the one who had a psycho following her every move. “I know. I’m not really homesick much, and I know that I made the right decision when I decided to stay, but I do miss all of you guys a lot. I miss getting together all the time and being able to find out what everyone is up to. Cousin parties are the best.”
“We hosted one that was wild last weekend,” Zoey says with a chuckle. “Yeah, get on the ‘gram, okay? Just text the group text so we all know it’s you.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Erin—”
“I know you think I’m being silly, but what happened was really scary, and I don’t want to chance going through it again, okay?”
“I get it. I do. Just think about it because I want you to be privy to all the fun things happening around here. I mean, you’ll be here for the important stuff, but the day-to-day is still important, too. Oh, did you hear that Haley is going to go to school for sound healing and Reiki?”
“Is that, like, energy work?”
“Yep,” Zoey confirms.
“No, I hadn’t heard, but that sounds right up her alley. I have to say, though, isn’t the herbalism taking up all her time?” Our cousin has been into all things crystals and herbs for as long as I can remember.
“Yeah, for sure, but she wants to do this stuff, too. It’s fun to be her guinea pig. The next time you’re home, you need to have her make you her special teas. They’re delicious.”
“I’ll remember that.”
It’s not lost on me that she called Seattle home, but I think of Bitterroot Valley as home now.
Not that I’ll say that to Zoey because it’ll just hurt her feelings.
We spend about an hour talking about all the cousins, which is a lot of them, and what they’re up to. When I finally hang up with her, I’m freaking starving.
“I don’t want to cook,” I mutter as I stare inside my small refrigerator. I’m so tired, and every muscle in my body is just…sore.
I want to curl up on my small but cozy sofa and watch a true crime show. With pizza.