❛𝐖𝐑𝐀𝐏 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐄 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐄 𝐈 𝐃𝐑𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐎𝐒!❜
⸻ in which Rory Hargrove is obsessed to uncover
the truth behind Barbara Holland's disappearance, while
facing her brother's enemy and buried se...
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SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
APRIL, 1985
SHE FELT THAT FAMILIAR BREEZE ONCE AGAIN, slipping through the half-open windows of the BMW and ruffling her hair, which was already beginning to catch the first golden hints of morning light. The Killing Moon blared from the speakers, its haunting melody drawing her deeper into the moment. She bobbed her head to the beat, her eyes still on the horizon, but eventually she turned her gaze to the boy next to her.
He, too, was lost in the music, one hand casually on the wheel, the other resting out the window, fingers brushing the air.
It wasn't summer yet, as she'd hoped, but spring had finally arrived, and with it the promise of an Easter vacation to remember.
It would have been perfect if Billy had agreed to come along - but he wasn't keen on visiting her mother. Honestly, maybe it was better like that.
Just her and Steve, no distractions, no drama. With every smile from him, the weight of everything else seemed to melt away.
THE UNMISTAKABLE SWEET SMELL OF banana bread her mother used to bake on Sunday afternoons when she was a child enveloped her as soon as she opened the back door of her mother's house.
Rory loved her mother's little rustic home. It was simple, with vibrant but modest decor, just like her mother. There were huge books of all shapes and sizes on the tall, huge shelves that covered the walls of the room. There was no television - her mother loved to shut out the world when she was home. But what Rory liked best was that it was only five steps from the sandy beach. The sea in the distance was real television.
Her love of reading and the sea came from his mother - or so Rory always thought. At that moment, Aurora was no longer sure of her past. Since her arrival in Hawkins, her dreams and nightmares had confused her, and she was haunted by memories she swore she had never seen. Especially not good ones.
In the distance, he saw Theresa Evans-Hargrove taking another sip of her coffee as she relaxed on the couch, reading another thriller about forensic molecular biology while waiting for the oven to beep.
No, Rory hadn't told her mother she was in California, let alone that she was coming to visit. But Tess liked a good surprise, and her daughter's presence would be one.
