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But it had been different with Matt, so different than anything she’d ever shared before Sex with him had meant intimacy, and she hadn’t been prepared

Not even close

To take her mind off Matt, she used her break to hole herself up in the tiny back office of the diner and pull out her cell phone She wanted to plan the last leg of her grandain sometime, and you can ask me another question I’ll answer a question with each call How’s that sound?

Herin her head They’d had such a teone to live with her at age twelve, to the day Aht enty-twenty, and A hand in how things went down Facts were facts, and Airl who’d wielded her burgeoning sexuality like a ht back, without even considering how her …

Amy let out a shaky breath and hit her mom’s number The phone was answered quickly, with a breathless, "Amy?"

"Yeah, Mo unwanted and stupid And God how she really hated feeling stupid She shouldn’t have done this; she shouldn’t have--

"I’lad you called"

Amy sucked in another breath "You are?"

"You surprised et a chance to ask you if you’re okay"

Amy’s chest physically hurt She didn’t do this, this emotional stuff And yet it see "I’ain I just wanted you to know that"

Probably the closest thing to an apology she was going to get

"You still in Lucky Harbor?" her mom asked "Do you have a place? An address?"

"Yeah" Aave her the apartment address "You said I could ask you a question"

"Yes"

Amy drew a deep breath "Do you knohere Grandma Rose ended her journey exactly?"

"I’ret "I don’t All she ever told me was that in the end, she went full circle"

Full circle Saed Amy’s throat, thick and unsable "Oh Okay, well, thanks I’ve got to get back to work"

"Will you call again?"

A ti time Since her Grandma Rose’s death probably Arown needing acceptance Would she call again? Honestly, in that moment, she had no idea "I have your number," she said carefully

"Okay"

"And Mom?"

"Yes?"

"You have athered the trash and left out the back door She dropped it in the Dumpster on her way to her car and nearly tripped over Riley in the alley "Hey," A?"

But the ansas clear It’d been pouring steadily, relentlessly, all afternoon, and Riley had been rained out of wherever she’d been staying in the woods She et through and through, huddled up against the wall on the stoop "You okay?" A ive you a ride"

Riley didn’t ask where, or even bother to argue, which told Amy exactly hoet and cold the teen was Once they were inside A vents, rubbing her ariven her "You know, if you’d stayed at ht now"

"Didn’t kno long I could stay"

A better co, and didn’t answer A better ever ca lot and drove hoed Riley toward the bathroom for a hot shower By the time the water turned off, Aer stash for Riley

They ate grilled cheese sandwiches at the so-to comfort food Riley inhaled every last cru a whole lot less like a drowned rat now Her hair was drying in soft, natural curls, and with her face clean, Amy realized just how pretty she was "Got a call about you the other day," she said "A hang-up, actually" She told Riley about the phantom phone call she’d received at the diner

Riley didn’t say a word but went pale

Amy frowned at her "What is it? You knoho called?"

Riley shrugged

"You want to talk about it?"

"No"

Well there was a surprise "You know you don’t have to live like this, on the run, right?" Aet some help, make soet a job"

"I’"

"Well, that’s not true For instance," Areat conversationalist And such a sweet, sunny, friendly nature, too"

Riley had the good grace to gri

"Look," Aet rich or anything, but you could support yourself There’s a lot of freedo at her e in the rain bit entirely, fun as that probably was And with all your spare tiood at You could go to school, or whatever you want"

Riley looked at her "What are you good at?"

"Drawing"

"I suck at drawing"