Page 75 of The Way Back Home

August walks away, and I’m left standing in the kitchen on shaking legs, aching all over with a pang of grief in my heart as I watch him go with angry red marks on his skin where my nails were.

Back and forth, we continue to hurt one another. We push and shove, scratch and claw until we’re both broken and bleeding, a never-ending cycle of pain and hurt and torment. And yet I still can’t walk away, but it appears I’m the only one.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Olivia

IRUN MY HANDS THROUGHthe tepid milky water of my bath. It’s a Friday, and Dalton is opening the shelter so I can start late. I don’t know how that wound up meaning that I was giving Josiah the morning off too, but I didn’t argue. The boy is a hard worker, and he deserves a lot more than the small wage I can give him, so I let him take the morning off. August and Bett have a doctor’s appointment, and I’ve been looking forward to having the house all to myself, but that wasn’t to be. Still, even though it is hot as the burning blacktop outside, I can’t resist a soak in the tub with my new bath milk. It’s been forever since I had time to do this now that I’m sharing a bathroom with a teenage boy.

The phone rings and I turn off the tap and yell downstairs for Josiah to pick it up. He ignores it, and I wrap a towel around me and open the door. “Josiah! Will you get that please?”

“Why can’t you get it?” he shouts up the stairs. “It ain’t my damn phone.”

“Watch your mouth and just answer it.”

Just when I’m afraid it’s going to ring off the hook, he answers it with a gruff, “Yeah?”

Silence.

“Well, who is it?” I ask.

“It’s my aunt. You better come real quick.” He doesn’t need to tell me twice. I fasten the towel around my body and dart down the stairs.

“Sheriff?” I ask into the receiver as I take the phone from Josiah.

“Mmhmm, one and the same. Later we’re gonna have ourselves a little chat about my nephew answering your phone and living in the damn bed and breakfast with you and August Cotton, but right now, I need your skinny white ass down here to Jesse’s. That employee of yours is a menace, scaring kids, ranting and raving about how the government is watching.”

“What?”

“The sooner you can get down here, the sooner I can make sure this town is safe from loons like Dalton Brooks.”

“I’m coming, okay? Just don’t touch him. I’ll deal with it. You wait for me before you do anything rash.”

“Girly, does it look like I take orders from you?”

“Please, Shona?” I beg.