Page 8 of Stay With Me (Griffin’s Den #2)

EIGHT

Luna

A sense of calm washes over me as Noah pulls into the long driveway that leads to Griffin Farm’s Bed-and-Breakfast.

When I called Farmer Joe and Ann yesterday morning to let them know what was happening, they didn’t hesitate to give me the day off.

This is not only where I work but also my home and the place I’ve felt the safest in the ten years since I left The Family. I was lucky I found them when I did.

I also wasn’t surprised to hear their excitement when I told them I was going to have to bring Jess to work with me.

I peek at Noah out of the corner of my eye. I don’t know how I would have made it through the first twenty-four hours if not for him. We went from store to store, buying things that Jess will need, from clothes to some board games, books, and some new bedding.

I’m thankful he thought about how she shouldn’t have processed food, and we stopped at the grocery store to stock up on anything we could think of.

I forgot that my first meal was a cheap hamburger, and I got so sick I couldn’t start my job hunt for three days when I first left.

I also can’t get what he said that first night in his kitchen out of my head.

We will figure “us” out.

What does that even mean?

I shake that thought from my head as we come to a stop, knowing I’ll drive myself crazy trying to figure that out along with everything else.

When I unbuckle and move to open the door, Noah touches my arm. I glance over at him, and he says, “Stay here. I’ll grab both of your doors.”

Looking out the front window again, I see Joe and Ann standing on the porch waiting for us, and nerves sit heavy in my stomach. I don’t want to disappoint them, and I feel that hiding my past is just as bad as lying to them.

“Take a breath, Luna,” Noah says softly when he opens my door. “If you’re nervous, Jess is going to be nervous. They love you, and they’ll love her. Everything will be okay.”

I’m shocked again that he knew exactly what I was thinking. “What if they think she’s rude because she isn’t talking much?” That’s one of my worries. Other than saying please or thank you, she’s barely spoken to us.

“She’s in a completely new world around people she doesn’t know.

She needs time to decompress. Joe and Ann will help with that.

If anyone can get her to warm up to them without them trying, it’s those two.

Now let’s go so I can go to work because the sooner I go to work, the sooner I can come back to you two.

” He holds out his hand to help me down.

I place my hand in his, and like every other time we’ve touched, my heart skips a beat. The rear passenger door closes behind me, and Jess takes in everything with wide eyes.

The Family lived in a commune that had a farm, but it was nothing like this.

Griffin Farm’s Bed-and-Breakfast sits on about forty acres with five cottages, along with a main house that has eight bedrooms. Just past the cottages are a couple of silos and a large barn.

While farm life isn’t far from what she knows, this is much different from what we saw every day.

We talked last night about Joe and Ann, along with the farm and what I do for work.

She didn’t ask much other than if there were any rules.

My heart broke, and I told her that, of course, there are rules, but they’re different from what she’s used to.

As she started to fall asleep, I told her about some of the things I’ve learned outside of The Family.

While my heart is broken that life will be hard for her to understand for a while, I’m so glad that she’s with me.

That was probably the most she’s spoken at one time so far, and I’m glad we reached out to a couple of the therapists from the list Melissa provided us with.

After filling the girls in, Amelia also sent me her therapist’s information for when I’m ready because the more I think about it, the more I realize I never truly processed what happened, and I’ve been in what I’m told is flight mode.

I feel a squeeze of my hand and look up to Noah. “It’s going to be okay. I’m going to follow up with some of the therapists today, and we can choose which one we think will be the best fit for her, and we’ll get her the help she needs.”

I take a deep breath, trying to stop myself from spiraling.

He looks over his shoulder at Jess. “Are you ready to eat the best food you’ll ever have, squirt?”

Jess just shrugs and looks down at the ground.

Stopping, I pull my hand from Noah’s and kneel in front of her. “I promise these will be the nicest people you will ever meet. They won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to do, and you are safe with them.”

She meets my eyes and nods. It’s not much, but it will have to do.

I stand again and meet Joe and Ann on the porch.

After introductions, Noah looks at his watch. “I have to go, but you call me if you need anything, okay?”

“We’ll be okay.” I reassure him.

“I know, but just in case. I’m only a phone call away.”

“We’ll let you know if we need anything,” Ann says behind me and smirks at us.

“Good,” he says and grabs my hand, tugging me toward him for a hug. “I’ll be back after my shift, and I’ll pull over to your cottage so you can pack whatever you need for my place, okay?”

Slowly, I wrap my arms around his waist and tilt my head back to meet his eyes. “Okay.”

We were going to come by yesterday, but shopping took all day, so I just bought a couple of things, and I was thankful I stored most of my money away as the total continued to climb when we were checking out.

“They’ll be fine here, son. You can stop by on your lunch if you’re free,” Joe says from behind me.

“I’ll try. Alright, I’m off,” he says and lets me go.

I step back and watch him leave. Once he gets to his truck, he gives me a chin lift before he hops in, starts the car, and drives away. When he’s about halfway down the driveway, I turn around, and Joe and Ann are smirking at me.

“Don’t look at me like that. Let’s get today’s list started. If I remember correctly, we have a couple of check-ins and outs.”

I head back into the kitchen after cleaning up the rooms that had late morning checkouts. I pause at the door when I hear a giggle. Jess is standing next to Ann as they work together to make a couple of loaves of bread.

Seeing this warms my heart because it’s just a laugh, but it gives me hope that maybe she can have a normal childhood and that The Family didn’t fully mold her into who they wanted her to be.

“Well, come on in, dear. No need to just stand there and watch us. Are you ready for lunch?” Ann asks while she shapes the dinner rolls.

“I could eat. What are we thinking, sandwiches?” I walk over to the fridge and pull things out, setting them on the counter. “Jess, is there anything specific you want?”

“I’ll eat whatever you’re eating,” she says as she puts another roll in the pan.

“You can make the choice. This isn’t one type of sandwich for everyone. Do you want to see what we have?” I ask her.

“It’s okay to have something different?” she asks, looking between Ann and me.

“Of course, sweetheart,” I tell her as she walks over to see what there is. Looking up, I see Ann watching with sadness in her eyes.

Once Jess picks out her sandwich, I make it and set her up on the counter. I make mine and Ann’s sandwich, and the three of us sit down while the rolls proof.

Ann breaks the silence. “Jess, here is a fantastic little bread maker. I’m excited to try some new recipes with her.”

“That’s exciting. What do you guys have in mind?” I ask, looking at Jess.

She shrugs and looks down at her sandwich. “Maybe a sourdough discard cinnamon bread?”

“That sounds so good,” I tell her. I’ll bake with her every day if it means she’ll open up more. “Do you enjoy baking?”

“Yes, that was my primary role in The Family until I turned of age to help watch the littles, but I prefer baking,” she tells us before taking another bite of her sandwich. “This is very delicious. Thank you for lunch.”

Ann stops mid-bite and looks between the two of us, and I just shake my head.

I’ll tell her all the details when Jess isn’t around. Not that Jess doesn’t know. I mean, she probably knows more than me at this point. But I want her to focus on healing and not anything that has to do with The Family.

“Well, if it isn’t my three favorite women. Is it lunchtime already?” Joe says, as he takes his work boots off at the back door and walks toward us.

Before any of us can say anything, Jess jumps up and wipes her mouth. “I’m so sorry, sir. We didn’t come get you and started eating before you. Here, please sit, and I will make a sandwich for you.”

The three of us freeze.

Joe looks at Ann and me before calmly walking up to her and squatting down to get on her level.

“Take a breath, sweet girl. You’re allowed to eat whenever you want, with or without me.

Sometimes, I’m late, and I would never want you to go hungry just to wait for me. I can also make my own sandwich.”

“We won’t get in trouble?” she asks him, her voice trembling, looking back at Ann and me.

“No, I promise, no one will get in trouble. Now sit back down and finish eating, and maybe after I’m done, we can go check on the baby goats that were born a few days ago while your sister here goes and packs up a few things. How does that sound?” Joe asks her.

Jess turns and looks at me, and I give her an encouraging nod.

She looks back at him and says, “I would like that very much. Thank you.”

“No problem. Now, eat up. Can’t have you hungry while working with the animals in this heat.”

As Joe walks by, he places his hand on my shoulder and squeezes, and a tear falls from my eye onto my cheek.

Ann clears her throat and asks Jess, “Are you excited about school?”

Which causes me to pause mid-bite.

I haven’t talked to her much about school since we have to meet with them to come up with a plan for her before we can do anything.

Jess’s eyes go wide, and she turns to me. “School is bad, no? Isn’t that how they train the military for war?”

We didn’t have any formal schooling in The Family. They let us believe that the government uses school to train us for war so we can go off to die. They had more of a life skills approach versus any actual schooling.

I shake my head. “School is used to learn things like how to read and do math.”

“Did you go to school when you left The Family?”

I grimace when I admit, “No, when I left, I was more worried about where I would sleep and how to make money than I was about school. I would like to one day, though.”

Silence falls between us as we continue to eat.

After a few minutes, Joe changes the subject, and we finish eating lunch. Ann lets us know she’ll clean up while I go pack, and Joe takes Jess down to the barn to see the animals.

As I get up to leave, Ann pulls me into a hug.

“I knew you had it hard, but I’m glad you’re here, and I’m glad your sister found her way to you. Everything will work out, and the whole town will help you.”

Unable to speak, I cling to her, letting the tears fall that I’ve held back the past two days.

After a few minutes, she pulls back and wipes my tears with her thumbs. “Now, off you go. That young man of yours will be here soon after our guests check in, and you won’t have time to pack.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I say with a smile. “Thank you. Thank you for everything.”

“Nonsense. We love you like you were our own. Now off with you.”

When I get back to my cabin, I shoot the girls a text in our group chat.

Me: I have no idea what I’m doing. Ann brought up school, and Jess and I were caught off guard

Am: Isn’t school out? Has she had schooling? What did Melissa say?

Pam: I’ll find out from one of the nurses here what immunizations are needed and get you set up with a pediatrician.

Me: Ugh, I didn’t even think about a doctor, but I’m sure Melissa said something about that as well. Again, I don’t know what I’m doing.

Abs: Give yourself some grace. This all just happened, and you’re allowed to not know. We’ve got your back and will figure it out.

I smile because I couldn’t have asked for a better group of friends. Not that I have much to compare friendship to, but I know in my soul that these are my people. When I told them Jess showed up, they were supportive and ready to jump in where needed.

Looking around, I walk to my closet and grab a suitcase that is still mostly packed. It’s funny that when I first got here, all my belongings fit in this bag. Now, I have so much more. How silly I was for thinking I could just leave this town.

I’ve already put down roots and didn’t even realize it.

Taking a deep breath, I start to fill my bag with things I’ll need for at least a couple of weeks to take to Noah’s, but I watch the time because I don’t want to miss the new guests checking in.