Page 103 of The Starfish Sisters

“What are you doing?” I cry. “You almost gave me a heart attack!”

“What areyoudoing? I slept in the truck in case anyone bothered you.”

“Joel!” It shatters me. I close my eyes. “I would have let you stay.”

“It doesn’t matter. What the hell are you doing?”

I grab his arm. The more the merrier. “I might know where Jasmine is. Also, you need to give me your number.”

“Do you want to just drive? It would be a lot drier?”

I pause. “Yes. That would be much better.”

The old block is deeply creepy at night. I’ve never been out here except in the daytime. My old bedroom window is shattered, and the house is decrepit. “Why haven’t they torn all that down?” I ask as we pull up. “Turn off your lights so she doesn’t know we’re coming.”

“What difference does it make?”

“I want to scare the shit out of her, that’s what difference it makes.”

We creep up to the bus. “What if she’s not even here?” he asks.

“I can’t think about that.”

The door is broken and stands open. I tiptoe up the three stairs as quietly as possible, peeking over the edge of the half wall, holding my breath.Please be here please be here please be here.

A lump of blankets is pressed against the wall on one of the platforms. I tiptoe over and reach under. Just before I do, my LA mind kicksin and I’m afraid it might be a homeless person, but my hand closes around a small ankle.

She wakes up, yelling at the top of her lungs. “Go away! I’ll hit you with a rock!” Then she sees me. “Suze! You scared me half to death!”

“I scared you?” I snatch off the blankets and grab her, hugging her grasshopper body to me, her hair in my face. Tears spring into my eyes at the smell of her, the safeness of her, the physical reality of her when I thought we might not—

I squeeze my eyes tight. “Holy shit, kid, you scared the hell out of us!”

“Nobody was listening to me,” she says.

“Get your shoes on. Everybody is looking for you and your nana was half out of her mind worrying that a kidnapper had taken you or a moose gored you.”

“I left her a note so she wouldn’t worry!” She shoves her feet into the Crocs she wears constantly.

“Oh, is that right? A note! Well, I don’t know why we were freaked out, then. Oh, wait.” I grab her junk into a ball and point toward the door. “Because you’re ten! You’re not supposed to be out here by yourself.”

She turns around and stands her ground, arms crossed over her chest. “Nobody was listening to me. I don’t want to move to London. It’s my life, too, and I should have a say in this.”

Good for you, kid,I think. Tears well in my eyes. She has fire. She has moxie. She will need them both to live in a world that will try to devour her. I fall on my knees and hug her again, tears in my eyes. “Baby, I was so worried about you. I’m so glad you’re safe.”

As we climb in the car, I text Phoebe.I found Jasmine. Got her and heading to you.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Phoebe

I’m standing at the open front door getting splattered with rain when Joel’s truck pulls up. Suze gets out and carries Jasmine to the door, running through the rain, and deposits her in my arms.

As her long arms and legs wrap around me, I burst into tears, and bury my face in her shoulder, so relieved, so grateful. “Jasmine, baby,” I murmur, shaking, smelling her hair. I sink down on the couch, still holding tight, and I feel her hug me back.

“I’m sorry, Nana,” she says. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“You did.” I rock with her, and try to get my emotions under control. I lift my head, wipe my face. “Do noteverdo that again. Do you hear me?”