“Okay,” she said softly, her heart breaking for her friend. She reached out and cupped his shoulder, guiding him to lie back down next to her. He moved like he was going to turn his back to her, but instead she wrapped her arm around his neck. He went willingly when she eased him down to lie in the crook of her shoulder like he had done for her. When another noise made its way through the door, she could feel Ash recoil. She pulled the blanket up over them and pressed her hand over his ear.

He closed his eyes. “KC.”

“Shh, no more talking,” she said, sadness filling her. She wasn’t the only one who couldn’t count on her parents. Ash always seemed so self-contained, so in control, but he was scared and hurting, too. She wanted to go out there and scream at his dad, tell him to go to hell and never come back. But she was just a fifteen-year-old kid. So was Ash.

They couldn’t fix their parents. They couldn’t even share the burden with siblings because they were only children.

But they had each other.

“I promise I won’t bring this up again. But you can always talk to me, okay?” she whispered next to his ear. “Whatever it is. I’m here. I’m always going to be here. I promise.”

Ash took a deep breath against her. “Back at you, KC. And I’ll help you put sugar in Xavier’s tank. No one’s going to hurt you and get away with it. I’ve got your back. Always.”

Something unlocked inside her, and she held Ash close. “Best friends forever.”

She could feel his sardonic smile even in the dark. “We should get matching BFF necklaces from Claire’s.”

“Shut up, Isaacs. Go to sleep.”

They both lay quietly in the dark for the rest of the night. Neither slept.

Nine

Kincaid tucked a set of earbuds in her purse before getting out of the car and carrying two cups of coffee into The Stuffed Shelf. Day one. She could do this. She’d strongly considered Irishing her coffee, but whiskey at seven in the morning seemed a little too close to her mother’s style for comfort. The earbuds would have to do. If things felt weird being inside the store again or brought up hard memories, she would tuck those puppies in her ears, blast her music, and avoid reality while she and Ash cleaned up the store.

She was going to have to get used to cleaning anyhow. She’d picked up the keys to the farmhouse last night and had done a more thorough tour. She didn’t want to think about how many families of spiders she was going to need to evict. She shuddered at the thought as she used the key Grace had given her to let herself into the store through the back door. She took a deep breath, the old book smell as familiar as ever, and then headed down the hallway. The lights were already on in the front, and a movie score was playing a bit too loud over the store’s speakers.