Not Your Bet to Make Chapter 05

Not Your Bet to Make Chapter 05

Asher sat at his desk. Wrapped a gift box with careful hands. Tied the ribbon.

He could already picture my face when I opened it.

Limited edition. Took a month of groveling to Tiffany to track

it down.

His phone buzzed.

He grabbed it. Thought it was me.

It was my mom.

“Asher, is Grace with you?”

He paused.

“No. What’s going on?”

“Grace ran away from home!”

Voice message now. Mom sounded wrecked.

“I called her down for dinner. No answer. Went to her room.

Everything was gone.”

“All the stuff you and Tiffany gave her over the years. All of it.

In the trash.”

The message hit Asher like a hammer to the skull. He sat

there. Stunned.

“Asher, are you listening? Your uncle and I think she’s upset because we’ve been scolding her lately. Throwing a tantrum. Trying to scare us. She’ll come back in a few days.”

“But I’m still worried. Can you call her? Ask where she went?”

“This kid. Disappeared without a word. Doesn’t care at all

how worried we are. After everything we’ve done for her.

How can she be so selfish?”

Asher mumbled something. Hung up. Called me.

Rang a few times. Voicemail.

He stared at his phone. Disbelief in his eyes.

First time I’d ever rejected his call.

Didn’t matter how big the fight was before. If he reached out,

I responded.

If he sent me a single sticker, I’d call him back immediately.

Heart pounding.