Page 53 of Heartland

I feel her shake her head next to me. “Plus, they don’t want people wandering around the stairwells in the dark.”

“Do you have a flashlight?” I ask.

“Nope.”

I fish out my cell phone, which is running low on battery power but isn’t dead yet. “Here, take this. Make yourself comfortable for the night, okay? I’ll let you back into your room.”

“Thank you, Dylan.”

She puts her hand on my leg, nudging me over so she can get off the bed. The bright phone light winks on, illuminating a narrow strip of her room. She gets a flannel nightgown out of her dresser and then leaves for the bathroom she shares with Kaitlyn.

I wait there in the dark, considering my options. Maybe it’s ridiculous, but I don’t feel right leaving her alone in this nearly empty building with no power and no flashlight.

It’s a dorm room. Not a remote cabin in the Yukon. The power will probably be restored during the night, and Chastity doesn’t like to be babied.

Still. Chastity spent most of her life with people who should have been looking out for her, but wouldn’t. I think that’s why I do some of the things I do for her. Because everybody needs to know that somebody cares.

There’s a tap on the door a couple minutes later, and I get up and feel my way over to open it.

“The plumbing still works,” she says, handing me my phone and walking over to the bed.

“Cool. I’ll test it out myself.”

I head to the bathroom and take care of some necessary business. As I’m tapping on Chastity’s door, my phone rings. It’s Leah, so I answer in spite of my dying battery.

“Hello?” I say, feeling vaguely guilty about being in Chastity’s room. “You’ve reached the headquarters of Nannygoat’s Candies. How may I direct your call?”

“Dylan!” Leah chirps. “That isn’t as funny as you think, given the call I just took. Ask me how many boxes of caramel the Vermont Country Store wants. Go ahead. Ask me.”

Chastity opens the door. I stumble over to the bed, and we both sit down. “Okay. How many boxes of carameldoesthe Vermont Country Store want?”

“Agross,” she says. “A hundred and forty-four full-sized, plus some samplers.”

“Oh, shit.” I laugh. “Really?”

“Really,” she says. “And you got two smaller orders, too. You’re up to, say, a hundred and seventy-five boxes.”

“A hundred and seventy-five boxes,” I repeat slowly. Chastity lets out a little shriek beside me. “We’re going to be chained to your kitchen, Leah.”

“I know! But that’s a good thing.”

“Is it?” I wonder. “I wonder how many caramels a guy can make on a Friday night?”

“You always have Saturday,” Leah babbles. “I told Chastity you could have either day. And now you need them both.”

“Oh,” I say slowly. “Saturday?” I turn toward Chastity in the dark. The glow from my phone is just bright enough to catch the expression on her face.

It’s guilt.

Eighteen

Chastity

I’m dyinginside as Dylan finishes the call with Leah. Now my little spur-of-the-moment lie is unmasked, and I feel terrible.

I’d told myself that it didn’t matter, because Kaitlyn told ten lies to my one. Every day. But itdoesmatter. Because I feel sick inside.

“Yeah, the power went out, first at my house and then here,” he’s saying. “The phone on the wall didn’t ring. But she’s fine. No—it isn’t very cold in here yet.” He glances at me, then points at the phone, asking if I want to talk to Leah.