At five I clocked out, and Will, Lou, and I left for the Larsens’.

This time, I was greeted like I had always been there, Lou and Bay’s family smiling and hugging Will and I just as much as their actual family. After Mama Ami checked our bond over and gave it a thumb’s up, I helped set up tables and played with Savannah. It felt good and I took a moment to revel in the feeling that I was somewhere that I belonged. Where I was wanted.

Lou’s family was sensory overload in the best way, and it kept me from checking my phone constantly. I still checked a lot. Zoey and Sid didn’t call, didn’t text. I was getting really worried.

As the evening wound down, Will caught a ride home with someone else, since Bay decided to stay and spend more time with his other sisters. I gave Lou my keys because I was tired and I wanted to try calling Zoey again from the quiet of the car. After I packed our leftovers into the back, I settled down in the passenger seat, my heart and my stomach very full.

Lou buckled her seatbelt and moaned, the sound traveling down my spine. “I’m never eating again.”

I grabbed her hand and kissed her knuckles. “Poor thing. Should I take the leftovers back inside?”

“You take that food back and I will not be responsible for my actions,” Lou said, checking her mirrors before she pulled into traffic. Lou was a good driver, and I liked watching her as she drove, which she said was “slightly creepy,” even though she blushed every time she caught me doing it. I dialed Sid and Zoey again as passing streetlights illuminated Lou’s face.

It was still going to voicemail.

Lou reached across, squeezing my thigh. “You okay?”

“Just worried,” I said. “I keep reminding myself that there’s probably a very good, non-terrifying reason for them not answering, but…”

“But you care about them and you’re concerned.” Lou slowed the car to a stop as a light shifted from yellow to red. “Would it make you feel better if we had a plan in place?”

“Like what?” I asked, rubbing a hand over my face. I was suddenly so tired, the big dinner, the warm car, and the emotional exhaustion catching up to me. “There’s nothing we can do, is there?”

She tapped her fingers along the steering wheel. “How about this—if they haven’t called you back by morning, we go down there. Put eyes on them. Let you see that they’re okay.”

I blinked at her. “You would do that? What about work?”

The light turned green and Lou stepped on the gas pedal. “I think this qualifies as a family emergency. Work would understand. It’s only a three-hour drive.” She wrinkled her nose. “Unless we hit traffic. We’ll probably hit traffic. But it would be worth it, right?”

My throat grew tight. “I can’t believe you’d do all that for me.”