Carry Me Home (The Home Series: Book Three) Read Online Free PDF Page B

have.  I got lucky I guess.  It doesn’t take a lot of skill to brown some ground beef and dump a jar of Ragu on top.”
    “Well, it’s delicious.  Thank you.”
    “You’re welcome,” I said and we continued to eat in silence, which wasn’t normal.  One of us was usually babbling away about something, but not tonight.  It was quiet and I knew she was suspicious by the way she eyed me from across the table.  I couldn’t stop thinking about my run in with Jesse.  It was almost like a dream and I found myself asking if it had even been real. 
    “Are you okay, Ry?” my mom asked after the silence had lingered too long.
    I looked at her and thought for a second about telling her I was fine…that I’d just had a long day at work…that I missed Evan, but she knew me too well and she’d know I was lying.
    “I saw Jesse today,” I finally said and I saw my mom’s fork full of spaghetti stop mid-way to her mouth.
    “Did I hear you correctly?  Did you say you saw Jesse Baylor?” She looked at me and I nodded. “Where?”
    “At Dillon’s.   We ran into each other in the cereal aisle.”
    She set her fork down and just stared at me. 
    “How is he?”
    “He seemed okay.  We didn’t say much,” I said softly and we were quiet again.
    “Are you okay?” she asked, raising a concerned eyebrow. 
    “I’m fine,” I said, trying to sound nonchalant. “It’s been forever.  Why wouldn’t I be okay?”
    “It couldn’t have been easy seeing him after all this time…especially with how things ended between you two.”
    “It was strange, I’ll admit.  It was like I couldn’t believe what I was seeing at first.”
    “Will he be in town long?”
    “I don’t know.  I think he came to see Brandon, so I doubt he’ll be here long.”
    “How do you feel about that?” she asked and the way she was eyeing me reminded me of Matt and the way he looked at me when trying to get me to delve into the deep recesses of my mind. 
    “I’m fine.  His life isn’t here anymore, so it’s probably best if he just leaves town again.”
    My mom didn’t say anything for a while, but I knew she wasn’t buying my complacency. 
    “Do you think you’ll get a chance t o talk again?” she asked and I thought about it and then shook my head.
    “No, I doubt it,” I said as I pushed the spaghetti around on my plate.
    “Isn’t there anything you want to ask him?”
    I put my fork down and then looked up at her.
    “No.  He made his decision when he left.  I have a new life and I’m happy.  It’s probably better if we just leave the past behind us.”
    “That’s a very mature attitude,” my mom said and I noticed the surprised look on her face.
    “Well, I’ve grown up a lot since Jesse left.  He needed to go and I understand that now, but it doesn’t mean I want to rehash it.”
    She just nodded and we kept eating until our plates were clean.  We loaded the dishes into th e dishwasher my mom had installed a couple of years before.  It was a luxury she finally decided we couldn’t live without and I had to agree with her. 
    My phone rang as I placed a glass in the top rack.  Wiping my hands on the dish towel, I walked over to it and saw it was Evan.  Normally, I would’ve picked it up right away, anxious to hear his voice, but as I stared down at his picture on the screen, I was filled with mixed feelings.  I think I was still in shock over seeing Jesse and I didn’t know if I had the energy to talk to Evan, but then I thought perhaps hearing Evan’s voice was exactly what I needed after my encounter with Jesse and I picked up the phone.
    “Hey,” I said as I walked out onto the porch and sat down on one of the old white rocking chairs.
    “Hey.” His warm voice washed over me and I relaxed.  I’d been a crazy mix of emotions since seeing Jesse, but I was glad I’d picked up the phone.  Knowing Evan was on the other end of the line helped set my mind at ease.
    “It’s good to hear your