When You Make It Home Read Free Page A

time in one night, I’d bolted from the bedroom and called out goodbyes to everyone I passed on my escape to the front door. Sure, I hated what he’d been through, but the way he looked at me, and the way he talked to me, left me raw and exposed.
    I had my own problems to sort out. But like a good book I couldn’t put down, I wanted to know more about Theo. What was his story? What was next for him, with his body—his life—forever altered? I thought about interrogating Ellie or Jake, but I didn’t. That would only attract attention to my curiosity. Anyway, I wasn’t sure of my motives. Maybe I needed a mental diversion. Sooner or later our paths would cross again, but I didn’t expect us to gravitate to each other. I certainly didn’t anticipate him being drawn to me.

    “I smell bacon.” Steve’s warm voice came from behind me while I was setting up a display in the cooking section of The Book Stack. I snatched a copy of the newly released Bacontarian Diet and spun around to face him, catching my hip on the corner of the immense repurposed dining room table.
    The sensible part of me held steady, even though I twitched to chuck the book at him and bail. “Check out my Father’s Day gift display.” I kept the book level with my belly. “Doesn’t this cover make you hungry?” I tossed him a bar of bacon-like soap. “That’s what you smell.”
    “Soap? Now that’s original. I can stink like bacon all day.” Steve sniffed the bar and scrunched up his nose. “Some things are not meant to be. Think these will sell?” He cocked his head and gave me the inquisitive, younger-brother-by-seven-minutes look that reminded me how thoroughly he trusted me.
    My throat tight, I barely hung on to our conversation. “Sure, but not as well as the bacon gum, bacon-flavored toothpicks, bacon Band-Aids…” I tapped the items as I listed them. “Or my personal favorite…” I reached for the little red-and-white rectangular box and shook it. “Bacon jellybeans!”
    “Nice ensemble. I never knew such a vast array of porcine novelties existed. I can’t help myself.” Steve took the box of jellybeans, opened it, rattled out a handful of bacony beans then tossed them into his mouth. He studied the label, chewing away while I waited for his verdict.
    “Not bad.”
    My stomach rumbled loudly enough to catch Steve’s attention. He looked down, and I sidestepped to stand behind a stack of cookbooks.
    “You skip lunch again?” His brows pulled together, and I heated under his inspection. He read me too well.
    “I’m about to head to The Tavern.” The words rushed from my mouth.
    He shook out another handful of jellybeans. “Have a bacon bean,” Steve offered, his mouth full.
    I flinched at the smoky whiff of pork on his breath. “I’ll pass. You better pay for those. They’re six dollars a box.”
    “Ha! Put it on my tab.” He strolled away, loose limbed, all easy and light. Keeping a secret was bad enough, but keeping a secret from my twin felt like a tumor growing inside. If I told him some of the truth, he’d want to know all of it. And in the details, his heart would break.

    The Tavern, located on the opposite corner from The Book Stack, was my go-to place for a quick bite and a reprieve from work. That day, I passed through the big wooden doors and inhaled sharply. The restaurant was packed. Tuesday Night Trivia—always a good time to skip The Tavern. I slipped past the “Wait to be Seated” sign, which didn’t apply to regulars, and shouldered through the crowd to an empty, high-backed booth in the front corner.
    My favorite waitress, Karen, spotted me. “Hey, girl! Having the usual?”
    “No.” The usual was the healthiest item available: a grilled chicken salad with lite vinaigrette dressing. I smoothed my skirt, wiggling to adjust the bite of fabric sinking into my sides. The last time I had a lapse of self-discipline, I ended up pregnant, so at this point I figured I might as well live a