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“Hey there gorgeous.”

She rolled her eyes, but there was a hint of affection there. Cheryl had been working here as long as we’d been coming, at the very least. She knew me since I was a kid and when she saw the defeated look on my face, she frowned.

“Everything alright?”

“He’s goin’ through somethin’. He’ll be alright. He could probably use some of your famous pancakes, though. Somethin’ to up his spirits a little. Hasn’t eaten much in the last few days.”

I barely listened to them talking to each other, resting my head in my hands, elbows on the table. I didn’t want to be here. I wanted Art. The longer I spent away from him, the more painful it was. He settled so easily into my life and now that he was gone, I couldn’t handle it.

My phone rang, interrupting my spiral. I wanted to ignore it, but my dad gave me a pointed look and I sighed heavily, pulling it out of my pocket. I didn’t recognize the number and when I answered, it shocked the hell out of me who was speaking on the other end.

“Hello?”

“Hendrix? Can you come get me? I’m scared.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

HENDRIX

I’d never moved so fastin my life. Sophie sounded terrified and I could barely breathe, knowing she was alone somewhere. Dad went with me, his hand locked on my shoulder, and we teleported as close as possible to where Sophie told me she was. I had a lot of questions, like why she was calling me out of everyone, and what the hell she was doing, but my immediate concern was getting to her. We took off into the air, heading straight for the park where Sophie was hiding. She was waiting for me on the top of the jungle gym, a backpack sitting next to her and a pillow in her arms. She tossed it aside and launched to her feet when I landed, throwing herself at me the minute my feet touched the ground. I hauled her into my arms, hugging her tightly.

“What happened? What are you doing out here? Are you hurt?”

She shook her head, her face buried against my shoulder. I shot my dad a confused look. I wasn’t sure what to do. He studied Sophie, letting out a soft sigh.

“You ran away, didn’t ya?”

Sniffling, Sophie lifted her head to look for the voice. Her cheeks were tear stained, her eyes red rimmed, and she wore the same heartbroken look I’d seen on Art’s face a few days ago. She took in my dad standing next to us, but she didn’t disagree with him.

“Oh, Sophie…”

Her chin trembled, and she burst into sobs again. I hugged her tightly, rubbing her back, my chest aching. We moved to the bench nearby, and I let Sophie cry it out before lifting her chin to get her to look at me.

“How’d you get ahold of me?”

“I… I got your number out of Daddy’s phone after you came to visit. I wanted to call you and ask you when we could dance again. I hid it in my backpack when Daddy called me down for dinner, and I forgot about it until now.”

“And how’d you call?” Dad asked. Sophie was still a little kid. I wasn’t sure if she had a phone yet.

Sophie grimaced, her eyes dropping to her lap. “I… I stole Lee’s phone. Him and my mom were arguing. I was gonna take hers, but she was holding onto it, waiting for my uncle to call. She wanted him to make it so I couldn’t see my daddy anymore. I was scared. I saw Lee’s phone on the charger and I took it and ran away. I thought I could get to my daddy’s on my own, but I got lost and…”

And she called for help. I didn’t agree with what she’d done, but at least she was prepared for the worst. She was smart, I’d give her that. But also heartbroken and just a little kid. I couldn’t be mad at her for reacting like that, not when she thought she wouldn’t get to see her dad again.

“I need to see that phone, Sophie.”

Her brow furrowed and her eyes searched mine. “Why?”

“Because I gotta call your mom.”

She protested, her eyes filling with tears again, but I shook my head. “I know you’re upset, and this is really scary, but you can’t just run away. Your mom is probably terrified right now, wondering where you are. Give me the phone. I’ll call her and your dad, and I’ll stay here with you until they show up. Okay?”

She looked so defeated, it hurt me to make her do it. But I stayed firm, keeping my expression calm but serious until she went to her backpack and pulled out the phone. She was reluctant to hand it to me, but I put out my arm and she cuddled against my side once she handed it over. Luckily, there wasn’t a lock on the thing and I found Val’s number in the contacts. It rang a few times before she answered, her voice wobbly and scared.

“Lee? Did you find her?”

“Uh, it’s not Lee. I’m Hendrix, Art’s–” I hesitated. She lost her mind when she found out about me and Art. Probably better not to bring that up right now. “Anyway. I found Sophie. She’s okay, just upset and a little lost. Can you come get her or should I bring her to you?”

Val sounded flustered, stuttering as she tried to figure out what to say.