Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Josie

Two weeks before…

The empty apartment stared back at me.

It'd been my safe haven for the past four years. The place where I rested my head, studied for my exams, and drank wine with my friends. The emotion that swirled inside of me was surprising. I hadn"t expected it, to be honest.

While packing up my things I hadn't felt sad. The thought of the unknown had been exciting. I had my psychology degree, parents that supported me in my future endeavors, and a clean slate.

Everything that happened or didn't happen over the past four years was being left in Baton Rogue where it belonged. In the past.

My cell phone buzzed in the back pocket of my jeans.

I dug it out, cringing when I noticed Jacob's name on the screen.

As I had for the past two weeks, I ignored it.

Jacob had been my boyfriend for the past three years. Everything was good until he proposed. It wasn't his fault. He'd done everything right. He took me out to a fancy restaurant and bought me a giant ring with his savings. It was the lack of excitement inside of me that screamed, ‘Don't do it.'

Going with my gut was my thing.

My father had taught me that at a young age, and I'd carried it with me throughout life. Marriage was forever, or at least I wanted mine to be, so agreeing to marry someone should make you happy. Not content.

I wasn't marrying Jacob Henderson because I didn"t lean against the door after a date and wish I would have invited him inside. The foot-popping kiss never happened. The butterflies in my stomach stopped at date two.

He was safe.

He was a good choice.

He just wasn't my choice.

I slid my phone back into my pocket, giving my one-bedroom apartment one more look before shutting the door for the last time. There would be no more almost tripping down the wobbly steps on my rush to class. Or stubbing my toe on the loose wood in my bathroom. This was it. I was finished with this chapter in my life.

My drive home to Mandeville was only an hour"s drive. Having my parents close by made me feel less afraid to make big leaps over the years. They'd supported me when I needed it. Helped me with my rent when I couldn't afford groceries and bills.

It"d been a blessing in disguise that I hadn't received acceptance letters out of state. It was all in God"s plan. Southern Louisiana was my home. I loved the atmosphere and the close-knit communities.

Sliding into the driver's seat of my Kia Sportage, my high school graduation present from my parents, I turned the A/C on immediately.

Sweat gathered at my hairline, making my ebony-colored hair stick to my forehead. My cell phone rang again, vibrating against the cup holder where I'd tossed it.

This time my father's name appeared on the screen.

I sighed in relief.

"Hello?"

"Josie," he said, his southern accent deeper in his excitement. Neither of my parents had stopped talking about me moving home for the summer. It was only two months, but they were excited nonetheless.

"Dad! I'm on my way now. I just left my apartment."

"I'm so glad to hear it," he said. "Have you heard anything from ... Jacob?"

I inwardly cringed. Normally I wouldn't be the kind of girl to tell her father something so personal. However, it'd gone viral. The proposal and no acceptance. Rolling my eyes at Jacob's audacity, I tightened my fingers around my steering wheel.

I was sure it"d been hard for him to show his face, but it"d been embarrassing for me too. People whispered about me for the last two weeks of class. Calling me names that I wouldn"t repeat. I was the bad guy for not wanting to commit to someone.

He'd gone all out. Done everything right. I just wished it would have been a private interaction, not in front of the entire restaurant when everyone had cell phones and social media. It was a disaster waiting to happen. Obviously, he thought I would say yes.

"He's been calling non stop," I said. "I told him I need time to myself, but he isn't getting it."

Dad cleared his throat. I felt a lecture coming, but to my surprise, he didn't give me one. "You're doing the right thing. Always … go with your gut," we said together.

"I need to focus on the road. I'll see you in an hour or so. Do you need me to pick up anything on the way home?"

"And prolong your arrival? Never. Love you, Dew Drop."

"Love you."

I drove home listening to 2000s pop music, drumming my fingers over the steering wheel, and avoiding the realization that I would start my new job in the city in exactly two months.

The fear of being a grown-up swallowed me whole most days.

But the fear of failing followed me around like a damaged umbrella, always leaking onto my skin and weighing me down.

Luther's Mercedes was in the circular drive when I parked underneath my favorite magnolia tree. He'd worked for my father for years as his assistant. Being the mayor's daughter had come with challenges in a small town.

Everyone kissed my ass.

The kids at school. The teachers.

Most every day of my life, I walked around with the after scent of nearby brown-nosers. It'd become exhausting. I didn't know who to trust. My friend's list was scratched down to the bare minimum when I graduated.

The friends I made in college were the only true ones I trusted.

I hurried up the front steps, stopping when I noticed my mother walking around the front of the house. To my surprise, she was in jeans and a T-shirt.

Dirt covered her hands and clothes.

She'd been a debutante, growing up. I could count on my hand how many times I'd seen her dirty. "Mom?"

I caught her off guard. She yelped and placed her palm on her chest. "Goodness gracious alive, Josephine. I didn't know you were here."

I stepped down the steps, meeting her halfway, so she could gather me into a hug. "Why are you so dirty?"

She pulled away, swiping her hand down her t-shirt. "I've taken up gardening since you left. You would know if you came by more often."

Guilt slammed into me. "I'm sorry. I've been busy with final exams—"

She smiled and tucked a piece of dark hair behind my ear. "It's fine, honey. Go see your daddy. He's been so excited all morning."

I raced up the steps and into the house. It smelled like cooking, which meant Miranda was in the kitchen. Daddy's office door was cracked when I pushed it in.

The smell of leather and chewing tobacco hung in the air. He was writing furiously when I stepped inside, drawing his attention by clearing my throat.

He dropped his pen. Those too-blue eyes he passed down to me sparkled. I'd always been a daddy's girl. Since I was an only child, it wasn't hard to be the favorite.

"Peach," he said, standing up and offering me a hug.

I ran over, wrapped my arms around him, pressed my cheek against his chest, and I closed my eyes. "Something smells good," I mumbled into his chest.

He pulled back and slid a palm over my hair. "Miranda is frying you some chicken."

"Mashed potatoes?" I asked.

"I would be ashamed to tell you no."

I chuckled. "I'm going to go take my suitcase to my room and get settled in. I'll meet y'all in the dining room in a bit."

"Luther can bring your things up for you."

"I've got it. Luther has better things to do."

I walked out to my vehicle, hauled my suitcase out of the back, and dropped it with a thud. Dad had all of my furniture put into storage until I moved into my new place in the city.

I'd saved all my extra money over the years for a deposit on an apartment I wanted downtown. It wasn't in a high-rise like my parents suggested but a simple house wedged into the corner of Maple and June Street. It was brick, had tons of character and the landlord showed me little nooks and crannies that her father had built for secret hiding spots.

My parents weren't as impressed as me.

A humid breeze brushed against my skin, drawing more sweat onto my forehead. Fall was just around the corner, and I could practically taste the bonfires and sweaters.

I lugged my suitcase up the front steps, across the wooden floor against my mother's disapproval of scuffing them, and up each step to the top floor.

My bedroom was the second door on the right, across the hallway from the most used guestroom. Nothing had changed since I left besides the sheets on occasion.

The smell of my childhood hit me hard in the chest, almost knocking me down memory lane. I rolled my suitcase over into the corner of my room, sliding my fingers against the chest of drawers, the corsages from homecoming, and yearbooks stacked on my desk.

I plucked my senior yearbook from the top of the stack when an icy chill brushed against my skin. I dropped the yearbook to the floor, glancing over my shoulder at the empty room.

I wasn't one to believe in ghosts, and I was certainly no paranormal expert, but I'd never felt a chill so forceful in this house before. Shrugging my shoulders, I picked the yearbook up and sat it back on top.

I spent the next hour unloading my clothes, avoiding Jacob"s persistent calls, and eventually hopping into the shower. The bathroom mirror was foggy when I got out, so I slid my palm against it.

The woman looking back at me looked the same. Ebony-colored hair. Blue eyes. Too-pale-to-live-in-the-south skin. But I felt different. I was moving on to a different chapter of my life.

The biggest chapter.

My career.

My future.

I tightened my towel around my chest and stepped out into my bedroom. The smell of Miranda's cooking had wafted up the stairs and underneath my door apparently.

My stomach grumbled, reminding me that it was dinner time.

Grabbing the clothes lying on my bed, I dropped my towel and began to dress. My phone vibrated against my pillow, Jacob's name in large print on the screen.

I'd eventually have to stop this madness for good.

Tugging on my dress, I went to grab my cell when my windows burst open, bringing in dead leaves from the woods outside and the humid wind.

I gasped, dropping my cell phone to the floor and I hurried over to shut it. The same chill as before worked its way down my spine.

I stiffened, turning to see an empty room and my cell phone ringing again.

"Josie!" Mother called from the other side. "Dinner is ready, honey."

"I—I'll be right there," I said over a parched tongue.

The room was empty, but strangely enough, I didn't feel alone.

Leaving my phone on my bed, I walked toward my door and opened it, leaving the chill inside of it.

I'd been so happy when I arrived home.

I just wish I would have known what waited for me there.