Page 412 of Safe With You
Too full.
I stopped just past the door.
There were people everywhere.
My parents were near the café.
Tasha was standing beside them with my nephew.
Naomi was behind the register wearing an expression I immediately didn’t trust.
I turned toward Ellis.
“Why is your sister here?”
He shrugged.
I narrowed my eyes.
“And my parents?”
Another shrug.
“Ellis.”
Mila giggled beside us.
My head turned slowly toward her.
Her eyes went wide.
Ellis reached for my hand. “Come on.”
“Where?”
“You’ll see.”
“I own the building. There’s nowhere in here I haven’t seen.”
He kept walking.
That should’ve been my first clue.
The second should’ve been Naomi pulling out her phone.
“Why are you recording?”
“No reason.”
“Naomi.”
Ellis stopped in front of the back wall.
For months, it had been empty. I’d planned to use it for local author displays eventually, but there was always something more important.
It wasn’t empty anymore.
Photographs covered the wall, and I recognized the first one immediately—the original Open Mic Night.
