Across the Vanishing Sky (Starlight Grove, #1)(87)

A sick feeling slid through me. I called her phone. It rang and rang before going to voicemail. I tried again. Same thing.

All I could think was one thing.

Escalation.





35





BRAEDYN





Holly grinned over at me as she swung her tote, which was some sort of hybrid between a basket and a bag. “I’m so glad you said yes.”

“I’m so glad you asked. I used to go to the Oakland farmers’ market every Saturday but haven’t gotten it together to find one here.” As we turned a corner onto one of the side streets in Starlight Grove, my lips parted in a soft gasp.

“Pretty adorable, huh?” Holly asked.

“Understatement.” But I didn’t look at her. I couldn’t. I was too busy taking in all the amazing stalls. The market was smaller than the ones I frequented in Oakland, but it made up for that in charm. And the variety was incredible.

A beekeeper’s stand with honey and honey-infused products. A few more traditional farms. A bread stand that smelled heavenly. One that specialized in cupcakes.

This was just what I needed: an afternoon with a new friend. I’d checked on Owen before shoving my phone into the recesses of my bag where it wouldn’t taunt me. Because Vincent was getting frustrated with my lack of response, maybe even angry.

When I hadn’t been able to sleep last night, I’d posted a photo of Mount Lupine and Yeti in the distance. It was a ways away from the cabin, but the first comment had popped up.

VF2099: Starlight Grove. Interesting.





Most wouldn’t have read it as a threat, but I knew the subtext. I know where you are. Unease trickled through me, but I reminded myself that he’d never once done anything other than dropping a harassing threat by comment or email. He simply wanted me to know he saw all my failings.

VicFab42: Must be hard to lose everything.





Anger surged at the memory. He likely mocked the idea of every hardship we had to endure. And why? I hadn’t asked him for a single thing. Instead, I’d scrimped and saved, always putting Owen’s needs first and working myself to the bone. But we’d made it.

A gentle hand touched my forearm. “Are you okay?”

I startled slightly but let out a breath, realizing it was just Holly. “Sorry. I was in another world.”

Her brows pulled together. Holly had at least ten years on me, but you’d never know it if it weren’t for the few wisps of gray threaded through the blond at her temples. “Worrying about Nova?”

Guilt swirled because I hadn’t been. That’s where my mind should’ve been focused. Instead, it had been selfishly focused inward. “My ex, actually. Just being a douchebag of epic proportions.”

A hint of surprise found Holly’s green eyes. “Is he involved in your and Owen’s lives?”

I shook my head. “No. By his own choice. But he sends messages every now and then. And they’re asshole-ish.”

Her mouth thinned into a hard line. “Neither of you deserve that.”

“Owen doesn’t know,” I assured her as we moved into a farmer’s stall and mulled over the produce.

“But you do. Have you tried blocking him?”

I went for some fresh arugula and heirloom tomatoes, a meal pulling together in my mind. “He just starts new accounts. I’ve realized simply hiding the comments and ignoring him annoys him the most.”

Holly chuckled at that. “Men and their egos.”

I grinned. “The ultimate weakness.” I moved to the cheese stand next door and eyed some burrata. “What about your ex? Are things amicable?”

She lifted a shoulder and then dropped it as she picked up a pecorino. “It’s a silent fury. Like we’re both so mad that the other couldn’t be what we needed.”

“I’m sorry,” I said softly.

“We couldn’t recover. Losing our boy. It was too much. There was so much rage. Mostly at ourselves, but the occasional explosions at each other were more than we could take.”

I reached over and took Holly’s hand, squeezing it gently. She still wore a wedding band on her finger. Even after the years that had passed. I didn’t have words to comfort her, but I had my presence.

Holly squeezed my hand in return and then straightened. “You know what we need?”

I arched a brow. “A shot?”

She laughed, light and airy, as if we hadn’t just delved into such heavy topics. “Cupcakes.”

I grinned back at her. “I’m in.”





My SUV bumped over the gravel road as I made the turn toward Creekside Cabins and the place that was now home. As I pulled to a stop in front of Cabin Two, I found Dex scowling at my vehicle, a phone pressed to his ear.

My stomach plummeted. I quickly shut off the engine, leaving my bag of produce in the passenger seat and hopping out.

“Yeah, she’s here.” Dex’s eyes scanned me from head to toe. “She looks fine.”

He seemed supremely annoyed with that fact.

“Thanks, Kol. Later.” Dex shoved the phone into his pocket, his scowl deepening to a glare.

“What did I do?” I asked.

“Where the hell have you been?”