Series: Webs We Weave Series by Krista Ritchie
Total pages in book: 147
Estimated words: 145038 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 483(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145038 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 483(@300wpm)
Nova says it’s deranged.
Jake turns to me. “About brunch tomorrow.”
“What about it?” I ask.
His family brunches have become a staple, and usually they’re boring affairs filled with talk of the weather. My presence is always mandatory as a reminder to Claudia that I’m not a one-off girlfriend for Jake.
He slips off his suit jacket and splays it over the cart. “You don’t have to go tomorrow morning.”
“Did it get canceled?” I watch him roll his sleeves to his forearms, something he does very often. I thought it was a nervous tell.
Rocky said Jake isn’t nervous. He’s being protective. Like he’s shedding the extra weight to fight for someone or something.
“No, it’s still happening,” Jake says. “But you’ve both been dealing with my family almost every day for months. No stopping. Not to decompress or even really take in what you learned about your parents weeks ago. You can pause—”
“There’s no pausing,” Rocky cuts in sharply. “This isn’t a game you can hit a button on.”
“Rocky’s right,” I say. “Our job isn’t one you can call out sick for. It’s an all-in or cash-out kind of thing.”
Jake rubs the back of his skull, then sets his hand on the metal frame of the cart. “I’m just worried about all of you, I guess. It’s not a small thing.”
Our parentage. The DNA.
But my world hasn’t been throttled as roughly as the Tinrocks’.
Rocky, Hailey, Trevor.
It’s hard to really mope or complain that I’m Elizabeth’s daughter since it’s what I’ve believed my entire life. But Rocky—he’s taking it all in stride. I think, maybe, he’s a little relieved he’s not biologically Addison and Everett’s. Maybe it makes hating them easier on his soul.
“Redirect your worry elsewhere,” Rocky advises. “We’re all fine…” His voice tapers off as wheels to a grocery cart squeak.
Coming down our aisle, Hailey pushes her cart unhurriedly. I tried to comb her hair yesterday while she was on her laptop, but tonight, the platinum strands are matted and frizzed like she rolled out of bed.
But I’m not even sure she’s really been sleeping. She’s skipped so many days of work ever since we read the DNA results on the beach, and whatever rabbit hole she’s descending, I wish she’d bring me down with her.
I told her, “Please, Hails. Just talk to me.”
“I don’t know what’s real…Phoebe, I don’t. There’s so much…that isn’t adding up, and it’s a lot of assumptions…I-I can’t, I can’t.” She tucked into herself, clawing at her head, and I wrapped my arms around her until she took deeper breaths.
In the grocery store, Oliver stands on the front of her cart. “Pink or yellow?” He’s holding two packages of marshmallow chicks.
“Yellow,” Hailey says with a faraway, glazed look.
“Classic.” He bops her nose with the package, and her lip tics in a fleeting smile. Then he chucks the Peeps in the cart.
She’s muttering something inaudible. Oliver either pretends to understand or he’s learned her garbled language, because he’s nodding along.
All week, she’s forgone her usual smoky makeup. No black eyeliner. No shadow. Not even a lip gloss. She looks younger than twenty-four.
Rocky has a dark expression as he restrains a tidal wave of worry for his sister’s health and mental state.
If we were regular people, we would have told her to talk to someone by now. A counselor. A psychiatrist. And not just Oliver, who might be this town’s charming part-time therapist, but has zero qualifying degrees to back it up.
Jake runs his fingers against his strong jaw. He twists back to Rocky with a pointed look. “You were saying? About everyone being fine?”
Rocky sucks in a sharp breath through his nose. “We’re working on it.”
“She’ll be okay.” I nod a lot, because I can’t fathom a scenario where this gets worse. It can’t get worse.
The only solution will be figuring out the origins of the Tinrocks, but every time Rocky and I try to insert ourselves into the research, she’s adamant that she has it handled. That Carter and Jake are helping her piece things together.
That we need to focus on the Konings.
Her cart screeches louder as it nears ours, and I see it’s full of Easter baskets, chocolate bunnies, and a floppy stuffed rabbit with lavender fur. It’s missing an eye.
“That ugly bunny should be on clearance,” I say.
Rocky doesn’t look up from his phone. “Phoebe is a full-fledged frugal princess now.”
“Well at least I know how to budget.” Sort of.
He almost smiles, but he’s rage typing.
“I like the ugly bunny,” Hailey says to me, and I grow a million feet tall. She was listening to us! She’s here.
“It’s definitely worth getting, Hails. Every ugly bunny needs a home.”
Oliver checks the tag on its floppy ear. “No markdown, but I’ll work my magic with the cashier. Full price discount.” He winks at Jake. “Learn how it’s done, Koning boy.”