Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 84952 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 425(@200wpm)___ 340(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84952 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 425(@200wpm)___ 340(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
I look down at Larissa to see her watching me. She smiles.
“Hollis, Larissa, meet my wife, Danielle,” Lincoln says as we enter the kitchen.
A woman much shorter than Lincoln is standing in front of a counter. Pizza boxes are lined up behind her as she watches us walk in.
“It’s so nice to meet you, Hollis,” she says. After wiping her hands on a white towel, she tosses it over her shoulder. “I’m so glad you could make it tonight.”
Her energy is a bit shocking as she heads my way, and I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do. I half-assed stick my hand out in case she wants to shake it—in case that’s what I’m supposed to do. But she bypasses it all together and pulls me into a hug.
My body goes stiff as I look over her head at her husband. I keep my arms at my sides.
She pulls back and smiles before turning to Larissa.
“And you,” Danielle says, “have to be Sigourney Mason’s daughter? Niece, maybe? I know I’ve seen you around.”
“Siggy is my aunt,” Larissa says easily. “Although we’re both blond with green eyes, so you’re not the first person to ask if we’re related.” She takes a bottle of wine out of her purse like some kind of fucking magician. “We brought you this.”
“Thank you, sweetheart,” Danielle coos, taking the wine from Larissa. She sets it on the counter. “I just love Siggy and her shop. I go in there all the time—”
“She’s not lying,” Lincoln chimes in.
Danielle rolls her eyes. “Ignore him. He’s just upset I put him on a budget.”
I can’t help but laugh at the look on Lincoln’s face. He glares playfully at the back of his wife.
It reminds me of Kim and Philip, the last foster family I stayed with. She definitely called the shots in that dynamic. It was hilarious because Philip was loud and slightly obnoxious, and Kim was this tiny little thing. But she could bend Philip to her will without saying a word.
There was something extraordinary about their relationship. There was something special about their family as a whole.
And the whole memory of them feels like a stake being shoved right through my heart.
I shake away all of that and focus on what Lincoln is saying.
“Hollis, come on over here and fill your plate,” he says. “We aren’t fancy around here. Just make yourself at home.”
I glance over my shoulder. Larissa and Danielle are in an animated conversation about jewelry, and I don’t really know what to do. Do I just grab a plate and put pizza on it? Do I need to wait for someone to give me a plate? I don’t know how to make myself at home in a place like this.
Larissa catches my eye. With the skill of a master, she scoots away from Danielle and toward me without missing a beat.
“I prefer rose gold,” she tells Danielle. “But I really don’t love expensive jewelry. I’m always afraid I’ll lose it, and the stress isn’t worth it to me.” She stops next to me. “Are you hungry?”
I nod.
She pats me on the shoulder. “I heard your stomach rumbling in the car.”
She’s lying because I’m not even hungry. But I appreciate how she seems to know that I’m a bit out of my element here.
I watch as she finds the plates stacked next to the pizza boxes, something I clearly missed. She hands me one. We fill our plates while Danielle grabs us drinks, and then we all find our way into the dining room.
“How are you enjoying Savannah, Hollis?” Danielle asks as we sit down at the table.
“I haven’t had a lot of time to sightsee yet, but it’s really nice so far. I love all the moss hanging from the trees.”
“That’s what Savannah is known for,” Danielle says.
“Who came down with you?” Lincoln asks. “It’s always so interesting to see who guys your age bring with them. You can tell a lot about a person by their entourage. Sometimes they come with parents and grandparents and aunts and uncles. Sometimes it looks like a whole damn gang. Other times, they bring their wives and sometimes even their own kids already.”
Lincoln takes a big bite of pizza.
I take a deep breath and blow it out quietly. “I came by myself. It’s just me.”
“Oh,” Danielle says but tries to cover her surprise up as quickly as she displayed it. “Sometimes people come alone too. I quite like a little trip by myself sometimes. This guy I’m married to can get overwhelming.”
“Bullshit,” Lincoln says.
I sit with my pizza untouched on my plate. The Landrys are so friendly and welcoming, but it feels a bit like some kind of interview. And I don’t love where it seems to be heading.
My foot taps against the floor, matching the beat of a Post Malone song. Larissa’s hand falls to my thigh, and I stop moving.