Chapter 18
Not Exactly The Best Thing After Getting Home From A Crazy Trip
“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” Daddy grinned from the garage door after I pulled my car into its spot. “My missing daughter, who’s been gone for almost a week without even so much as a word as to where she went.”
“Hi, Daddy,” I smiled sweetly, kissing his cheek as I passed him to go into the house.
“‘Hi, Daddy,’ she says,” he snorted, following behind me. “Do you realize how much trouble you’re in? Not by me, of course. Your momma is infuriated, though.”
“I was with Emmy and John,” I said. “Why would she be mad about that?”
“Because that’s not the only place you’ve been in the past few days, baby girl.”
I turned toward him, prepared to bring on a full frontal attack of the daddy’s girl. “Don’t let her be mad, Daddy. Please? I had some things I needed to take care of…in Rio…and it’s all good now. I just came back to finish packing for England and then I’m off again. I don’t want to be fighting with Momma when I won’t see you guys for two and a half months.”
“Hattie…”
Momma’s voice boomed down the hallway. “Hattie Leanne Devereaux! You get your butt in this kitchen right this moment!”
I groaned, rubbing my hands down my face, and slowly made my way down the hallway. Reaching the corner that turned into the kitchen, I peeked around, finding Momma’s narrowed eyes almost immediately.
“Hey, Momma. You’re sure looking pretty today,” I smiled, laying it on thick. “What’s up?”
“What’s up? You sure do have the nerve in saying that to me, Hattie. Where have you been?” she asked, hands on her hips. “We come home yesterday to find the house empty besides the staff. Amy said you’d gone off on Monday morning without telling her anything and disappeared. And now it’s Saturday. Care to explain?”
Daddy stepped up behind me, putting his hands on my shoulders. “Apparently, she made a quick trip to England before going there for the summer to get things in order. Oh, and she went to Rio for a few days before that, too.”
“Rio?!”
“Thanks, Daddy,” I said dryly, narrowing my eyes at him.
He laughed, leaning down to kiss my forehead. “You’re welcome, baby girl.”
“What in the world were you doing in Rio, Hattie?” Momma asked. “And don’t think you can lie to me. Tell me the truth, or else I’m going to call Emmy and have her tell me what’s been going on with you. You tell her everything.”
She was going to find out no matter what, so I went for the straight forward approach.
“I went to meet Drake. He came to Emmy’s graduation and he left me a note and a plane ticket. I didn’t find it until the morning after I got home, so I didn’t have much time to call you guys.”
Just at the mention of Drake’s name, Momma picked it out immediately.
“Drake?” she asked, her eyes brightening. “I thought you said you wouldn’t see him again!”
I shrugged, sitting down on one of the stools behind the counter. “I didn’t think I would, but I did. He wanted to show me some things he’d been working on over the past few years. You know, catch up and all. We ended up heading to John and Emmy’s with a friend of his, Cruz. They’re still there, but I wanted to come back because I really didn’t have time to pack or say goodbye to everyone here.”
YOU ARE READING
Parchment & Pearls
Action(The Forgotten Passages Book One) After almost nineteen years, I was used to life - used to school, used to having to put down my beloved books in exchange for heels and pearls, and used to lying to everyone who wasn't aware of my second, secret lif...
