Allie and Louis were sitting at the patio table on the deck. They’d just finished some reading comprehension. Allie had passed everything with flying colors.
Louis sat back in his chair and laced his fingers over his head. “After you get your GED, Miss Bitty wants us to work on some practical stuff, like personal finance and sharpening your interpersonal skills. We’ll also look into courses at Truro Community College for the spring semester. How’s all that sound?”
Freaking awesome! “It sounds fine.”
Louis grinned. “Just fine? Really?”
Allie felt her lips turn up at the corners.
“Yeah. That’s what I thought.”
Me? College? Really? Who would’ve ever thought?
Allie’s eyes wandered to Ted and Miss Bitty, who were a few yards away, discussing the additions to the guesthouse. Allie watched Ted, as he gestured at the building with his hands. Miss Bitty seemed to be listening to what he had to say, then she walked into the guesthouse. Ted turned and his eyes locked on hers.
Allie quickly looked away.
“What’s wrong?” Louis asked, glancing from Allie to Ted.
“Huh? Nothing. Why?”
Louis’s eyes lingered on Ted, who was now walking around the side of the guesthouse, staring at the roof. “Well, I just saw the way you looked at him,” he said, frowning. “You looked . . . upset.”
Not upset. Confused. I just wish I knew whether he liked me or not. Approved of me being friends with Hannah. “Really. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Does Ted make you uncomfortable?”
“No.”
“Would you tell me if he did?”
Allie realized she had no idea. Would she feel comfortable enough to go to Louis?
“Allie, you’re a beautiful young woman—and Miss Bitty’s job is to protect you. And I’m not saying Ted would do anything inappropriate, I’m not saying that at all because he seems to be a very nice guy, but sometimes beauty makes men do things they shouldn’t do. So if he makes an advance on you, or in any way makes you uncomfortable, you need to tell either Miss Bitty or me. Do you understand me?”
Louis thinks I’m beautiful?
“Allie?”
“Sure.”
“Sure what?”
“I would tell one of you guys.”
Louis stared at the guesthouse for a moment, then drained his coffee and set his mug down. “You’re a smart girl, but you’re still very young.”
Beautiful. Smart. Allie tried on the images in her head—and felt like she’d swallowed a flutter of butterflies again.
She loved how Louis saw her. How Miss Bitty saw her. Even Big Joe and Hannah. They all treated her with respect. They all thought she was worthwhile. Through their eyes, she was beginning to see herself much differently.
“I’m just saying that if you need help with something, or just need to talk about something you don’t understand, you should.”
Something dark passed through her mind’s eye. Louis was right. Even though things were going great, there were things bothering her. Things she wanted to talk about. Things that had absolutely nothing to do with Ted. She just didn’t know where to start.
“Allie? Did you hear me?”
“Uh, okay.”
“Does that mean you’re listening to what I’m saying?”
Allie met Louis’s eyes and held them; eye contact was one of the things she was getting much better at these days. “Yes, I heard you.”
“Is there anything you want to share with me before I go? I want to listen if you do.”
Yes. I’m hearing voices and I’m seeing things. And it’s starting to scare the shit out of me. I really need to talk to someone about it, but I’m too scared to.
Allie willed her mouth to open. To just spit it out. But nothing happened. She was too afraid to say anything, because she felt that if she did, it would make it more real. Plus, Louis might not have such a high opinion of her any longer. He would probably think she was crazy.
“Allie?”
“No.”
“You sure?”
“I’m sure.”
Louis sighed. “Okay then.”
He stood. “Oh, I almost forgot. I’ve got a little surprise for you.” He pulled a handful of books out of his backpack. “I know you don’t like to go out much, so I checked these out for you at the library.”
Allie took the books. Three young adult books that looked like an adventure trilogy of some type.
A thrill shot through her chest at just holding them. For their curriculum she’d only read classics like To Kill a Mockingbird and Jane Eyre, which were good, but this would purely be pleasure reading.
“Just let me know when you’re done with these and I’ll return them and get you some more if you’d like.”
Allie had the urge to jump up and hug Louis for his thoughtfulness. But, of course, she didn’t.
“Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome,” he said and began packing his backpack. “Well, you did a fantastic job this morning. Have a great day and make sure to have your homework completed by Friday.”
“Okay.” She beamed. “I will.”
CHAPTER 39
JEALOUSY SOURED ALLIE’S mood as she watched Hannah interact with the others across the dining room table.
After not hearing from the girl for weeks, Hannah had somehow weaseled her way into an invitation to not only eat dinner at Miss Bitty’s but also stay the night.
At first, Allie wasn’t so sure she wanted her at Miss Bitty’s house at all. And now that she was there, she was certain she didn’t want her there, because as soon as she’d arrived, it seemed like Allie had become invisible. The girl had it all: beauty, charm, great social skills. She had it so easy.