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It’s as if we don’t even know each other

Boone appears next totheine, for his friend this time I said no It sounds shady"

"It is" He pauses, and I wonder if he’s going to elaborate He’s been out with Rust a lothis way into "the circle" "The cars that need work are lower-risk and therefore cheaper to lift He can flip them and then sell the that a week before, the car they’re buying was a hunk of junk sitting under a tarp in a storage garage Most of the tione before its wheels are rolling across foreign soil"

"Smart, if he has souy is doing ten to fifteen for robbery I guess he was hoping to rope you in as the replacement"

"Did you know?"

"Just found out I would never have brought you to The Cellar without telling you what he really wanted I swear"

"I don’t want anything to do with it"

Boone nods slowly, his eyes in the direction that mine are, the direction in which Alex just disappeared "She’s scared That’s what that was"

I sigh, because that’s all I can do "Yup"

"For what it’s worth, I’ away

A painful knot forms in the base of my throat

Because I know that I’ve lost her

She’s never going to leave him

THIRTY

Water

now

I nearly stumble overin the truck

She holds up a horseshoe "Lulu needs her own sign"

"Okay" I cliaze fro over to her wide-brimmed hat and the oversized purse tucked under her ar, it’s justyou’re actually going into town?"

"Well, not if you’re just going to sit there all day, holding the steering wheel"

I put the truck into gear, avoiding a confused-looking Felix who simply stands in the middle of the driveway, like he doesn’t knohat to do with hi do you think it will take to get that engraved? I can drive you back right after I’m sure Dakota won’t mind"

"I have some errands to run, anyway They’ll take me a few hours Maybe you can drive me back over lunch"

"Errands?"

"Yes, errands" She sets her jaw and I know I’et any more out of her So I tune the radio and settle into the drive

And think about Jesse Since that night last week, we’ve been alternating between aparthts Thank God he leftI’d hate to think ould happen if Ginny caught hih she seems to have warmed up to him a bit since she sahat he helped me with in the barn She didn’t even comment on the fact that he needed to be in her barn in order to do it

As we approach the hter around the straps of her purse, until her knuckles are white "I can go with you to do your errands, if you want, Ginny"

"I’ out with Zoe tonight, after school"

She shakes her head, irl thinks I’m senile"

"Who’s that?" Meredith nods toward the s next to Ginny, their backs to us as they watch Zoe and Lulu trot past

"That’s Hildy She and Ginny were childhood friends"

By the tio, Ginny had changed out of two different outfits, swept the porch, given Felix a good brushing, and was sitting stiff on her swing, her arms folded in her lap

I couldn’t tell if she was nervous or excited I suspect a bit of both, though she wouldn’t ad to be worried about, though OneGinny and Ginny was letting her

"I hear Ginny went into town today I never thought I’d see the day"

I chuckle "Yes She had ‘errands’ " I air-quote the phrase I honestly don’t knohat she spent her tiraved horseshoe, I drove her back empty-handed I think , if only to wander a theht that stubborn ery I didn’t even know so until I saw her hunched over outside the barn Apparently she’d been having digestive issues for years And even after the gallbladder attack, she still refused surgery Honestly, I think it was estion to have you o in at all"

"That’scrazy"

She sighs "That’s Ginny"

"Well, Zoe asked if her friend could board her horse here If Ginny agrees--which I’o back into town for a new horseshoe"

"Huh" I turn to find Meredith with her aret a tiny head shake in response "Corab dinner at the rodeo Jesse can meet us there" She ropes an ar a lot of tiether"

If, by a lot of time, she ht I honestly didn’t think that anyone had noticed, but I guess I rong I duck in to burn

"And you haven’t had any issues?" She hesitates "I’ as your doctor, not as a nosylike I’ve fallen and solad" Her words are encouraging, but the worried frown over her brow hasher