Gilt Hollow by Lorie Langdon Page A

of his nose and shook his head. “Never mind.”
    “Did you already give him this address? Your parole officer, I mean.”
    “I kind of thought this was my house.” Ashton dropped his hand, crossing his arms again. “So, yeah.”
    His words dripped sarcasm, but Willow pushed down her defensiveness. She couldn’t imagine what it must be like to come back after four years and have your old life completely changed. Your family gone. Turning to face him, she whispered, “What about your parents?”
    Shadows obscured one side of Ashton’s face, giving him a haunted look. When he spoke, his voice was void of emotion. “I haven’t seen them since my sentencing.”
    Willow clutched the arms of the chair as something cracked in her chest, a heartrending pain for the boy she’d once adored. She’d known that his parents had their faults, but how could they abandon him when he needed them most?
    Outside the window, fireflies sparked and plunged through the purple dusk, and Willow’s stomach swooped along with them. She’d been a rule follower her entire life. Structure and order were her greatest comfort. After the fight with her mom, she’d spent the whole evening organizing her clothes by season, frequency of wear, and color. It calmed her, gave her a sense of control. But in this one rare moment, none of that mattered. She knew what she had to do. “What time is the appointment?”
    “Seven o’clock.”
    “Tomorrow’s Thursday . . .” Willow nibbled on her thumbnail, thinking through ways she could get her mother out of the house. Then she remembered St. Vincent’s soup kitchen, where they volunteered twice a month. Surely her mom wouldn’t object to the suggestion that they were short on help. She lowered her hand and stood to face him. “I can give you an hour and a half . . . maybe a little more.”
    The monotonous tick of the antique clock on the mantel filled the silence as Ashton stared at her, unmoving. Time seemed to reverse and they were once again connected, their friendship the biggest thing in their world.
    Ashton unfolded his arms and pushed off the counter. He walked toward her, his heavy-lidded eyes searching her face. “Willow, I—”
    Sharp footsteps echoed above their heads, cutting off his words as they both stared at the ceiling. “That’s my mom,” Willow hissed. “Take the back stairs.”
    He took a step closer and touched her shoulder, the pressure of his hand warming her all the way to her fingertips. “Thank you.”
    A creak sounded on the stairs, and Willow pushed him away. “Go!”
    He shot her a grin—a real one that lit his eyes like a sky full of stars, then turned on his heel and slipped into the dark.
    Willow forced out a shaky breath, a rush of light-headedness causing her to grip the chair. Her mom rounded the corner and appeared in the arched doorway. “Did I hear voices?”
    “Just me talking to Lisa.” She whipped her cell out of her pocket and held it up. “I had her on speaker phone.”
    Mom stepped into the room, moonlight catching on the glittered thread woven into her skirt. “Willow, about earlier—”
    “It’s okay,” Willow rushed to interrupt the looming lecture. “I understand where you’re coming from.” Which she did. She just didn’t agree with it. “Hey, can I go to Lisa’s after school Friday? We want to get ready at her house before the football game.”
    Mom’s eyes lit up. She’d been bugging Willow to “have fun with kids her own age” for years. “Absolutely.”
    Willow walked forward, keeping her mom’s attention away from the back hallway. “We’ll probably go out after too.” She hadn’t told Mom about her sort-of-date with Brayden Martin, and didn’t plan to. “If that’s okay?”
    “Sure.” Her mom hugged Willow’s shoulders as they walked side by side. “There’s leftover paella in the fridge. Let me heat it up for you.”
    A few minutes later, as Willow savored the perfectly seasoned shrimp, vegetable, and