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"Sounds good to me." She turned around and put her shoes back on.

  Dumbfounded, Alex gave his dad a look of confusion.

  Chad shrugged his shoulders and mouthed, "Women."

  Alex smiled. Maybe his dad was more relatable than he thought.

  Before he knew it, they were across town buying a tub of popcorn as big as his torso, with nearly as much butter and salt. Zoey had gotten a big plate of nachos. Twice she told the guy to put more cheese on it. When they got into their seats, she ate chips with so much cheese on them, he thought they would break.

  She caught him watching her. "Want one?"

  He shook his head. Her tone told him that he had better not take her up on the offer. "Hopefully, the movie makes you feel better because I don't know how much more of this I can take," he muttered.

  "What?" she asked.

  "I said I wasn't hungry anyway," Alex said.

  Zoey stared at him, as though trying to decide whether or not she believed him.

  Luckily for Alex, the room went dark and loud music blared from the speakers on the walls. A screaming army general showed up on the screen and Alex settled into his seat, eating salty, butter-soaked popcorn.

  When the movie ended, he looked over at Zoey. The empty nacho tray rested on her lap. Her eyes were closed and she was snoring. So much for not wanting a nap. He turned to his dad. "You wanna wake her?"

  He shook his head. "Let's watch the credits. Maybe they have something funny at the end."

  "After this movie?"

  "You never know."

  "Fine by me." He watched the names roll over the screen and realized they would have to agree on a name if they wanted to keep the baby. They had probably discussed it before, but it hadn't felt real until that moment. He looked at the names, hoping for inspiration. But they didn't even know if it was a boy or girl yet, although they would know soon enough.

  His breathing felt constricted. What if she did want to keep it? He thought of crying and diapers while trying to do homework. Would they keep with the homeschooling? They would pretty much have to, wouldn't they? He didn't know how much daycare cost, but since neither of them had a job, they couldn't afford it.

  Maybe his mom could babysit. She wasn't working either, and it would give her a distraction from thinking about Macy. What grandma didn't love her grandkids? His grandma was always saying that she never saw them enough.

  Thinking about his mom as a grandma was weird—almost weirder than thinking of himself as a dad, which was crazy enough.

  The credits and music stopped. Zoey sat up, looking around. She rubbed her eyes, knocking the nacho dish onto the floor. "I must have fallen asleep."

  Alex bit back a comment about it being a good thing they didn't stay home for a nap. "You wanna go home? To my house, I mean. You can relax in my room or Macy's. Whatever you want to do." He picked up her tray from the floor and dropped in into the canyon that was his popcorn container.

  She stretched. "Yeah, maybe we should. I didn't know I was so tired." She struggled to get out of the chair, so Alex held out his hand. Zoey tried again to get out, but finally took his hand. She mumbled a barely-audible thanks and they made their way out into the main lobby.

  His dad stopped walking without warning and Alex bumped into him.

  "What's going on, Dad?"

  He didn't answer. He only stared across the lobby at a group of women.

  Alex recognized some of them from the neighborhood. Alex looked over at Zoey. Was it his imagination or did she look irritated? She had been in a better mood after waking. Was she mad at him again? "Dad, let's go. I think we should get Zoey home. Maybe we could stop for ice cream or something." Hopefully that would give him bonus points, and she would stop being upset with him. He wasn't used to it, and he really didn't like it.

  Both his dad and Zoey were staring at the women, not answering him. Maybe Zoey wasn't in the mood for ice cream?

  One of the ladies broke away from the group and headed their way. She had made them dinner shortly after Macy disappeared. Her name was Laura or something.

  She smiled at them as she got closer. "Hi Chad, Alex." She looked at Zoey. "What's your name again, dear?"

  Zoey shot her a nasty look. "Zoey."

  Alex felt bad for the lady. She hadn't done anything to deserve Zoey's wrath.

  Laura smiled anyway. "That's right. Good to see you, Zoey. I'm Lydia."

  Oh, Lydia. Alex knew it had started with an L.

  His dad was fidgeting next to him. What was up? His dad was one of those people who talked easily with everyone he met. What had his mom always called it? Charisma.

  Lydia looked at his dad. "Would you like me to stop by and make some dinner tonight? The HOA hasn't had any sign ups to bring you guys any meals for a long time. You guys seemed to enjoy the lasagna I made last time."

  Alex's mouth watered. He remembered that meal. "Yeah. That was delicious. My mom's at a friend's house anyway. We'd probably just eat cereal for dinner tonight."

  Both his dad and Zoey shot him a dirty look. What had he done?

  Lydia smiled. "That sounds perfect. The girls and me," she indicated toward the other ladies she had been with, "we're going to see that new romantic comedy and then I can come over. You guys just relax and I'll take over the kitchen."

  Zoey scowled.

  Chad rubbed his hands together, looking nervous. "If you want to. I don't want to put you out."

  Lydia twirled a strand of hair. "It's no trouble. Dean's always out of town. It'll be nice to not have dinner alone for a change. Well, it looks like everyone's heading for the movie. I'll see you guys in a few hours!"

  The three of them walked to the car in silence. His dad looked deep in thought while Zoey continued to give him the evil eye.

  What was so wrong with having her make their dinner? His mom obviously wasn't going to make anything, and Lydia would have been home alone, anyway. She may as well make them her lasagna. His stomach rumbled just thinking about it.

  When they got home, his dad announced he was going to check his blog comments. He went downstairs and Alex followed Zoey upstairs. When they got to the bonus room, she stared at him. "How could you do that?"

  "Do what?"

  "Encourage her to make dinner over here."

  "So we can have a delicious home-cooked meal. I don't remember if you ate her lasagna or not, but it was one of the best things I've ever eaten. And I'm not just saying that. Would you rather have frozen waffles?"

  "Actually, yes." She sat down on the couch and turned on music videos.

  Alex sat next to her. "Why?"

  Zoey narrowed her eyes. "Are you really that blind?"

  "Apparently I am. Want to fill me in?"

  Zoey stared at him. "Have you noticed the way she looks at your dad?"

  "What? She's married. He's married."

  "Like people don't have affairs."

  "Not my parents."

  "She thinks your dad is hot and neither of their spouses are home tonight."

  "Get your mind out of the gutter. There's no way she wants to be with my dad. That's just gross."

  "I know you see him as just your dad, but one thing you need to realize is that he's hot."

  "You think my dad's hot?" Alex's voice squeaked.

  She rolled her eyes. "Look, he's practically like my own dad. He's more of a dad to me than that jerk of a sperm donor. I'm just stating the facts. For a guy his age, he's sexy. When Lydia's here, watch how she looks at him. She wants him like you want that lasagna."

  Alex shook his head. "No, that's not possible. It's also disgusting. Besides, even if she does think he's hot, she knows they're both married. There's no way."

  "You're so naive."

  "Am not."

  "Are too. She's looking for love. Her husband must never be home, because every time I've ever seen her, he's out of town. Your dad's an easy target. He's dealing with a missing daughter and if your mom is out of the house tonight…."

  "Fine, let's not le
ave them alone tonight. Okay? We'll suffocate them until she goes back home, and then you'll see."

  "Actually, you'll see," Zoey said.

  Nerve

  Macy sat at the kitchen table pretending to do her community studies. At least Chester was giving her a break from all the cleaning. It gave her a chance to think about her escape plan, which was essentially nothing at this point. She had fallen asleep as soon as she closed her eyes the night before.

  "What's this?"

  She looked up to see Chester standing where the dining room and hall met. He held up her—Heather's—bedding.

  Macy tried to keep sarcasm out of her voice. "A bed spread."

  "A bed spread?" Chester shouted.

  Her heart sank. He was in a rage again.

  Chester walked up to her, holding the covers close to her. "Just a bed spread?" His face was red and he had that scary look in his eyes again.

  Macy nodded, her stomach twisting in knots. Was he going to lock her up because of some issue with the bedding, so they wouldn't worry about her trying to escape while he was gone?

  "That's all you have? Really?"

  "What do you want me to say?" Macy blinked back tears. She didn't want to be locked up somewhere. Had she been stupid to get her hopes up about getting away? She should have known he would have a plan other than keeping her in with Rebekah and an alarm system.

  "Do you call this clean?"

  "What?"

  "Your covers, Heather. They're atrocious," Chester growled. He held them up to his face and gave her a disgusted look. "You were supposed to wash all the linens yesterday."

  "I did."

  "Did you? It doesn't smell like it to me. Does it to you?" He shoved them into her face. "Smell!"

  Macy didn't have to. The stench hit her before the covers touched her face. They reeked of body odor. It smelled like an entire football team had rolled around on them after playing a game.

  "Is that clean?"

  She shook her head no. How had they gotten so gross? Macy had washed them. In fact, she remembered how fresh they had smelled the night before. Before going to sleep, she had even enjoyed the fresh, clean smell.

  "That's right! They don't smell clean. Do you need a lesson in laundry?" he shouted. His spit landed on her face, but she knew better than to wipe it away. "How could you think these were clean? Tell me!"

  "They were clean," Macy whispered.

  "What did you say?"

  "They were clean."

  "You call this clean?"

  She shook her head. "They didn't smell like that before."

  "What are you trying to say?" He grabbed her shirt and pulled her out of the chair.

  Macy looked away. "I don't know what happened, but when I washed them, they were clean. I smelled them last night, and they were fresh."

  "Are you telling me that I don't know what I'm talking about?"

  "No."

  "Don't lie to me. Tell me you screwed up."

  "But I didn't. When they—"

  "I said tell me the truth." He shoved her into the table, jamming her side into the corner.

  Macy gasped in pain. "I am. It was clean. I smelled it myself."

  Chester shoved her farther into the side of the table. "Then how did it get like this?"

  "I don't know."

  "Are you not bathing properly? Did you make them smell like this?"

  "No. No." She shook her head while tears blurred her vision.

  "What is it then? Do you need lessons on showering or laundry? Which is it?"

  Macy looked away, not answering. She didn't need instruction on any of that.

  "Don't ignore me." He squeezed her shirt tighter, causing the collar to choke her. "What do you need a lesson on?"

  He let go of her shirt, causing her to fall. She hit her shoulder and head against the table as she slid down to the floor, gasping for air.

  "What do I need to give you lessons on?"

  "Laundry."

  "So you admit that you didn't wash the linens correctly?"

  Looking away, she nodded.

  "I can't hear you!"

  "Yes," she said as loud as she could muster.

  Chester grabbed her arm and yanked her up. "Why couldn't you have just admitted that in the first place?" He shoved the covers against her face. "Make sure they don't smell like that again. Do you understand?"

  "Yes."

  He dragged her to the laundry room and her feet stumbled, trying to keep up. He threw the bedding into the front loader and slammed it shut. "The first thing you have to do is make sure what you're washing is in the washing machine. Is that too complicated?"

  "No."

  "Good. Don't mess it up again." He picked up the bottle of laundry detergent and read the instructions verbatim. "Shall I show you?"

  Macy nodded.

  He pulled off the lid with dramatic flair and brought the bottle inches from her. "Watch as I measure." He poured the liquid to the second line and then poured it to the machine. "This is the correct setting for linens." He spun the dial around. "Next we make sure everything else is on the proper setting." He pushed the rest of the buttons, explaining the importance of each one as he went along.

  "Do you think you can replicate that in the future?"

  "Yes."

  "Or would you rather I write down instructions?"

  "No."

  "Good. Now, get back to your studies. It's important you understand everything contained within the books."

  "Okay." She turned around and went back into the dining room, blinking back tears. She had cleaned all of the bedding the right way. There was no way she would have been able to sleep in her bed if they had smelled that foul the night before. Whatever had happened to them, it wasn't her fault. Not that it mattered, because she was the one who was getting in trouble for it.

  Chester walked by her without a word and got a drink of water from the kitchen. After he put the glass in the dishwasher, he walked to the table and stared at Macy. "I'm going to take a shower. When I get out, we're going to have a little quiz about your reading. Understand?"

  Macy nodded, afraid to speak. She knew if she said a word, she would dissolve into tears.

  "Good." He walked away, and as he did, Macy got a whiff of body odor.

  Anger burned within her. He had to have rubbed her clean covers all over himself, making them stink. Then he turned around and yelled at her, making her feel like she had done something wrong. All along, he had known that it wasn't her fault.

  He had to have been trying to break her down to make sure she wouldn't go anywhere while he was away.

  Unfortunately for him, his plan had backfired. Macy now wanted to get back home even more than before. Determination ran through her. She would find a way of escape before Chester dragged her back to another community.

  The sounds of the shower starting startled Macy. Was this her opportunity? Sure, he wasn't miles away, but he was in the shower. Macy would have the advantage. She was fully clothed and he wasn't. Surely he wouldn't run after in the nude. Or would he?

  She got up and looked down the hall. The door was closed and she could hear him banging things around in the shower. Her heart pounded nearly out of her chest. This was it. It had to be. She was done dealing with his abuse.

  Barely able to walk straight, she went to the line of shoes by the door and put hers on. They weren't the best running shoes, but they were better than nothing.

  Macy looked down the hall again, this time shaking violently. She could barely see straight and her fingers and feet felt cold.

  The shower was still going, but probably not for much longer. If she waited too long, she'd lose her chance. She took a deep breath and placed her hand on the knob of the front door. It was now or never.

  She swallowed, her dry throat not allowing any movement. Her hand clung to the knob as she turned it. Macy pulled the door toward her. The alarm screamed and wailed, notifying everyone within a several block range of what she had done.
/>   Her feet moved into motion before she had time to think. She pushed the screen door open and she was out in the sun. The air was chilly, but the sun itself felt good. When had the last time been when she was able to go outside?

  Macy made her way across the yard and went left down the street. The alarm still screamed, and Chester was bound to be after her in a matter of moments. All he would have to do was get out of the shower and throw on some pants.

  There was no way he could be surprised that she would escape after how he had just treated her. It was almost as though he was testing her.

  She kept looking back, expecting to see him. It was only a matter of time. She turned down another street.

  "Heather!" called someone from a yard.

  Macy turned and saw a girl about her age waving.

  "Stop, Heather! What are you doing home? When did you…?"

  The voice trailed away as Macy picked up her pace. With that fool yelling Heather's name, Chester would know what direction she went. She looked for another street to go down, but came to a dead end.

  She couldn't turn around. She would either have to hide or go through someone's yard to get to the street behind. She could still hear the sound of the house alarm wailing. If Chester had that hooked up, the police would be coming soon. That could be good or bad.

  If they found her first, she could tell them that Chester had kidnapped her. Then maybe they would take her home. Although if they went to the house and talked with him or Rebekah first, they would probably say she had tried to run away. What if they forced her to go back? What if they wouldn't listen to her like they hadn't listened to Heather?

  She ran through the yard in front of her and went around to the side of the house. There was a gate, but no latch. She reached around, scratching her arm on the fence. She found the latch and unhooked it.

  A dog barked and ran past her for the street. There was no time to feel bad about the dog escaping. She ran into the yard and looked for a way over the fence. She saw a plastic climbing toy. It was just high enough, so she pushed it up to the fence and climbed on top. Then she grabbed the top of the fence and climbed up. She looked into another back yard.

  Voices could be heard not far away from the street behind her. She should have closed the gate; everyone would know she ran into that yard. She braced herself for the jump, knowing that her leg was still weak. If she landed wrong she could reinjure it, but there was no time to worry.