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“Um… why do you have women’s clothes?” Faith asked.

“I own a women’s boutique.”

“Do you work there too, Carmen?”

“God no. I’m a graphic designer.”

Mateo snorted. “I’d go out of business if Carmen worked with me. She has no interest in fashion… as you can see.”

“These are my sleep clothes, you ass.”

“Uh-huh.” Mateo smirked.

“I like comfort, nothing wrong with that.”

“Comfort is fine, you living in sweatpants is not.” Mateo punctuated with a perfectly arched eyebrow.

Carmen muttered under her breath. Faith chuckled. “You really don’t have to give me clothes, Mateo.”

“Let me, please. That dress,” he said, waving his hand at Faith, “is hurting my soul. You are a baby gay that needs some guidance. Let me be your sherpa.”

“Por Dios,” Carmen laughed.

“Okay,” Faith smiled.

“Excellent. Now I think we know what needs to happen now, right Carmen?”

This is what Carmen had been afraid of. “I’ll get the disco ball,” she sighed.

“And the red carpet!” Mateo shouted at her retreating body.

“Disco ball?” Faith parroted.

“Oh yes. It’s fashion show time,” Mateo squealed.

Outside Mateo’s room, Carmen rolled out the red carpet. She’d love to say that this wasn’t a frequent thing she did, but that would be a lie. Mateo loved himself a fashion show. Carmen shivered when she recalled the swimwear show Mateo and his friends put on last summer in their old house. No lesbian should ever be subjected to that many men in Speedos.

Laughter filtered out into the hall. Carmen hoped they could help Faith find her aunt. Now they just had to figure out where the hell to begin their search.

Chapter 3

Faith

Faith excused herself to the bathroom so she could get a little space. Today had not gone to plan. At all! Not only was her aunt Molly still a mystery yet to be unraveled, but now Faith found herself in the company of two people she didn’t know but had taken her in. For all her months of planning, Faith hadn’t accounted for any of this.

It could be worse. The plan could have gone completely wrong. The sound of Mateo laughing pulled a smile from her lips. Sitting on the edge of the bath, Faith gripped her knees and let out a breath. The first full breath she’d exhaled since running from Kentucky.

The constant worry Faith had dealt with for the past few months was still there, but a little easier to keep at bay. Now and then a shiver of anxiety would ripple through her body when her mind turned to thoughts of her father discovering Faith had escaped his control. In a few days, she would think about contacting Alice again, just to check-in. Faith was sure that her parents would have gone straight to Alice, after the sheriff of course. Hopefully, Alice and her parents hadn’t suffered at Faith’s expense.

Another laugh, this time from Carmen, roused Faith from her thoughts. Why were these people being so accommodating? Could she trust they had good intentions? Faith had no answers, but she had her gut feeling, which always steered her right. Now, her gut was telling her she was safe. Even if it was temporary, at least Faith had a little time to collect herself and figure out her next move.

Finding her aunt seemed an impossible task. After all, the one lead Faith had was a dead end. “It will be okay,” she whispered under her breath.

“Hey, are you okay in there?” Carmen’s soft voice asked, slightly muffled through the bathroom door.

“Yeah, I’ll just be a second.”

“Take your time. Mateo is entertaining himself now,” Carmen laughed, which made Faith chuckle.