Across the Vanishing Sky (Starlight Grove, #1)(111)

Dex’s thumb stroked back and forth across my hand. I just kept breathing.

“I’ve wanted to go back. I’ve said I would since I moved here. But I still just…haven’t,” I admitted. And with those words came a wash of shame. I said I was here to find her, to fight for her, but I hadn’t done the one thing that might actually shake something loose.

“There’s no rush,” Aster assured me. “We can go anytime you’re ready.”

But there was a rush. Nova. She’d been out there alone for so long. Whether she was living through hell or no longer breathing, she was alone. And I couldn’t stand that. She’d been the one to make sure I never was. I had to do the same for her.

“Saturday?” I croaked.

Dex leaned into me, his lips hovering at my temple. “We’re with you. You’re not alone.”

That almost scared me more. Because I had so much more to lose.





My back ached, and my feet throbbed, but I’d never been more grateful for the distraction. We’d been slammed for most of the day with tourists and locals alike, and now that things had slowed to a trickle as we hit half past two, I almost wished it would start all over again. I’d take exhausted and hurting over being alone with my thoughts.

A flash of movement caught my eye at the hostess stand. I grinned as I crossed to Travis. “Twice in one day? What’d I do to deserve that?”

He chuckled. “You can thank Roger’s ravenous appetite. I called in a to-go order.”

“I’ll go check on that for you.”

“Brae.”

I stopped, turning back to face Travis. I saw it then, the concern, the worry.

“Are you okay? The meeting this morning…it was a lot.”

God, he was a good human. I had somehow ended up surrounded by them here. Stumbled my way into a family—the kind that would order takeout just for an excuse to check up on me.

“I’m all right. I promise.”

Travis just stared me down.

I let out a long breath. “This has been hard. And the deeper we dig, the more hope I lose.”

Worry streaked across his face. “Brae…”

“I know. I know the chances of her being alive are slim. I think I’m finally coming to terms with that. But I don’t want her to be alone. I need to find her. To put her to rest.” Tears brimmed in my eyes, but I quickly swiped them away.

“Well, well. What do we have here?” a gruff voice asked.

I looked up to see Sheriff Miller ambling in, an annoyed look on his face.

“Sheriff,” Travis greeted, stiffening on the single word.

“Making social calls on duty?” he asked.

“No, sir,” Travis ground out. “Rog and I are on lunch. I’m just picking it up.”

“Must be paying you too much if you can get takeout all the time.”

God, every time I thought Miller might be turning a corner, he proved otherwise.

“Can I help you with something, Sheriff?” I asked, trying to rescue Travis.

“Came to see if you’d gotten any other calls, threats, anything suspicious,” Miller muttered.

Surprise lit through me, and I could see it in Travis’s eyes, as well. “No. I haven’t. It’s been pretty quiet.”

Miller’s lips thinned. “All right. You call me if anything pops up.”

“Sure. Um, thank you.”

He jerked his head in a nod and headed for the door. “Just doin’ my job.”

“For the first time in a decade,” Travis muttered.

I tried to stifle my laugh as I made a beeline for the kitchen to grab his food. When I got back, Travis was still staring at the spot where the sheriff had been.

“Here you go.”

He jolted slightly. “Thanks, Brae. You let me know if you need anything.”

“I will. Thank you for everything. You and Cora both.”

“Anytime.”

As he left, I moved to wipe down tables and refill condiments, anything to keep busy. Aidan had left for the day, so it was only Wylder and me. He’d hold down the fort alone until the evening crew came in. Sometimes, I didn’t know how he did it. He worked over twelve-hour shifts most days. But he never seemed tired and never complained.

A shadow fell over the table I was clearing, making me straighten to offer help. But the word died on my lips as I caught sight of angry, green eyes. Vincent was dressed in his usual preppy fare: khakis, a polo shirt, loafers that probably cost as much as my car, and a watch I knew cost more than the cabin I lived in.

“You never know when to shut your fucking mouth,” he snarled.

I stiffened as movement caught my eye: Wylder, rounding the bar as he shoved his phone into his pocket.

I wasn’t alone. I was safe. And Vincent Faber didn’t get to make me cower. “I would’ve thought the pepper spray and busted balls would’ve made you smarter.”

Redness crept up Vincent’s throat. “That podcast has millions of subscribers. You throw my business all over it. You spread your bullshit lies.”

“Get a grip. I never mentioned you, an ex, nothing. But it doesn’t surprise me that you can make anything about you.”

“You said you were raising a son alone. The son my fucking family has realized is mine.”