Someone Else’s Life(42)

“Do you think we’re safe here?” Serena asked.

Annie pasted a cheerful look on her face. “I think we’re better off here than out in the storm. Let me just call Brody to see where he is.”

She dialed his number, but he didn’t pick up. She texted him, asking if he was still at the airport, but no answer. She waited, but still nothing. Frustration and worry bubbled up inside her, wondering if he’d lost cell signal at the airport. A new text popped up, making her heart jump, but it was only Izzy, asking if they were okay.

“I should call them back. I know Izzy, and he won’t go to bed until he sees that we’re fine,” Annie said.

Serena nodded and Annie called her friends back on FaceTime.

Both of them immediately connected to the call.

“How bad is it?” Julia asked.

“Bad. But we’re fine. Let’s not talk about the storm.”

“Fine. Did you get a job?” Trust Julia to get right to the point.

“She’s volunteering at the Kauai Humane Society,” Serena said. She took the phone and angled it so they could see Marley, who rumbled low in his throat. “You know she adopted Marley, right? He was so sad, but now he won’t leave her side.”

Annie laid a hand on Marley’s head. “I’m so glad I adopted—” She broke off. Something hovered at the edge of her mind.

“That’s great, Annie. I know losing Lili almost killed you.” Izzy’s voice was soft.

“Yeah.” Annie frowned.

“Lili was such a great dog,” Serena said. “She was so cute in her pink harness and leash. Marley would look better in a different color.” She looked down at Marley and missed the look Julia and Izzy exchanged, but Annie caught it.

“What?” Annie mouthed.

“How do you know about Lili, Serena?” Julia’s voice was sharp.

“What?” Serena flushed, as if overheated.

“I told her,” Annie said.

“All about Lili, down to the color of her harness and leash?” Julia’s eyes lasered out from the phone.

“Yes.” Although, wait, had she told Serena that? Annie turned to Serena. “I did, right?”

“Oh, um. I think so.” Serena brought a hand up to her face. “Plus, I think there’s a picture in here somewhere . . .” She gestured around the Ohana.

“Well, whatever. Lili did have a pink harness, and she was cute.” Annie jumped in to take the heat off her new friend.

Serena worried her lip, and Annie gave her a slight nod to reassure her everything was okay. Serena spoke again. “Yes, and she loved taking walks around the lake, right? I remember wishing I had a dog like her. She was so devoted to you.”

Annie’s head swam. What? For a second there, she thought she’d heard wrong. Was she drunker than she thought? But before she could gather her thoughts, Julia’s voice hissed out from the phone.

“Annie . . . abort . . . you . . . abort . . .” The phone crackled as reception went in and out. Julia’s face froze on the screen for a moment as she said the code word they used to whisper to each other whenever one of them needed to get away from a situation. Annie would have laughed, but the look on Julia’s frozen face made the laughter die before it could erupt.

“You need to pee now?” Annie was confused. They were on the phone. Why did Julia want to go to the bathroom with her?

“Yes . . . badly.” Izzy nodded his agreement. One minute, she could see and hear her friends clearly, and the next, they froze for a few seconds.

Julia said, “Sorry, Serena . . . right back. It’s a thing . . . We . . . together. You don’t mind if Annie takes us to the bathroom, do you?” The last part of her words came in loud and clear.

“I don’t have to pee.” Annie didn’t want to be rude and leave Serena in the middle of the conversation when they were all getting along so well.

“Well, I do. And you’re coming with me.” Julia stared at Annie until Annie shrugged and stood up.

“I’ll be right back.” With a glance over her shoulder at Serena, who must be so confused about why her friends were going to watch Julia pee, Annie walked into the bathroom and closed the door. “What was that?” she hissed at her friends in a whisper. “That was kind of rude.”

“Annie.” Izzy’s voice was quiet, the reception now stable. “How long have you known Serena?”

Annie’s voice was edged in impatience. “I told you: I just met her this afternoon. I mean, we saw each other yesterday at the beach, but this is the first time we’ve talked.”

“Why does she know so much about you?” Julia’s brows were knit together in concern.

“We’ve been talking for the last few hours. I told her a lot about my past. It was amazing. It’s as if we share a mind.” Annie shook her head. “What’s going on?”

Izzy frowned. “I don’t know. I just got this weird feeling. And I know Julia did too. She seems perfectly nice, but she seems too nice. Acting like she’s known you for years.”

“Izzy . . .” Annie started, but then she stopped. What was it that Serena had said that made her pause earlier? She frowned, and then it came to her: Serena had told Annie’s friends that Annie was volunteering at the humane society. But now that Annie thought about it, she hadn’t told Serena that. Had she? She’d told her about adopting Marley, but she didn’t remember saying anything about volunteering. But she must have; otherwise, how would Serena know that? And wait, had she told Serena what Brody had gotten Finn for his birthday? She’d thought she’d just been thinking about it, not saying it out loud. But how else would Serena have known that Finn had gotten a transformer car for his birthday? Was Annie once again doing things she couldn’t remember?