Read Online Bigger Than the Sky (Serenity Point) by Harper Bentley - Free Book Online Page A

Cassie says.
    I snort out a laugh. “He’d never do that. You know he wouldn’t. It’s just…” Oh, God, I’m going to cry again. I sniff as another damned tear finds its way down my cheek. “This was my house.”
    We take off down the long drive and I see I have my proof now. The trees are gorgeous in the early morning light just as I knew they would be, just as they were years ago, and I tear up even more.
    “I know, sweetie. I about shit a brick when he bought it a few months ago.” She looks over at me in understanding as she hands me a tissue from her purse.
    “Months? And you never told me?”
    She looks at me sheepishly. “I didn’t want to hurt you…”
    I nod. That makes sense because she’s a good friend. I dab at my eyes and cheeks. “Well, speaking of bricks. Someone threw one through the store window last night. That’s why I was with Kade. He wouldn’t let me stay at the garage,” I explain wiping my eyes.
    “What? No they didn’t!”
    “Yep. It was two thirty-one this morning, you know me and numbers,” I glance at her and roll my eyes, “but I was sound asleep when a huge crash woke me. Got up, went downstairs and there was a brick with a note rubber-banded to it.”
    “What’d it say?”
    “‘ Your not wanted here. You need to leave town while you still can bitch! ’ Y-o-u-r . No comma after ‘can.’”
    She snorts. “Must’ve been a Serenity Point grad then.”
    “Exactly. Wanted to talk to you and Lacey about where my education tax dollars are going. Certainly not towards grammar,” I say with a chuckle.
    “Believe me, we’re doing our damndest,” she says chuckling right back.
    “When I find out who did it, that brick’s gonna be introduced to the side of their head,” I answer.
    She looks at me for a second before looking back at the road. “I know it was hard for you to go to the house last night. You gonna be okay?”
    I sigh and look out my window. “I was so pissed, Cass. I mean, seriously livid. And so hurt. How could he do this to me?” I look back at her.
    She too lets out a sigh then shrugs and shakes her head. “I don’t know.”
    “You know how I felt about that house. What it meant to me.”
    She nods. Out of all my friends, she was the only one who truly understood why I ran. She’d watched me with her brother over the years. She knew I loved him but she got me, understood the loneliness I’d felt. She’d taken some grief from her family for standing up for me, and I loved her even more for that. “I know, honey. Hey, wanna get breakfast at Mags’?” she asks as we drive through town.
    “Yeah. Her Denver omelet sounds good. But can you drop me at the station first? I know I look horrible. Need to grab a shower.”
    “Same. Okay, I’ll meet you there in an hour?”
    “’Kay.”
    She drops me off and thank God I’ve got more than one key to get in since Mike has the other. There’s a huge slab of plywood covering the window and I know Papaw would’ve thrown a fit had he seen it.
    I’ll find out who did this and they’ll pay. I’ll make sure of that.
    ~~~
    “Mags!” I say as I hug Maggie, proprietor of the best restaurant at which I’ve ever eaten. I’d eaten here at least once a week since I came to live with my grandparents because Papaw’s ritual was taking Meemaw and me for breakfast every Sunday morning.
    “Amelia,” she says, pulling back from our hug and holding my forearms, smiling sweetly at me, her lovely blue eyes sparkling. She’s a rather heavy-set, tall woman who, deceptive to her size, moves with the grace of a ballerina. Matter of fact, she danced with the New York City Ballet at one time but quit when she fell in love with her now husband of over thirty years, Frank, who’s the sole veterinarian in town. They met on a blind date, both were smitten, and she followed him back to Serenity Point, opened her restaurant, another dream she says she always had, and never looked back.
    “Just as beautiful as ever,”