‘I don’t know,’ I say.
‘Come!’ Nabila urges me. ‘Although you gotta get a wristband. How would she get a wristband?’
She’s looking at Aubri. ‘Guess you’d have to head over there. See if they’ve got any left. Worth a try, I guess, but I’ve heard they all get snapped up in, like, an hour these days.’ Aubri shrugs her shoulders. ‘College kids.’
‘Okay,’ I say, picking up my vase of flowers. ‘I have to go to lunch with my dad now. But maybe I’ll see if I can get one.’
I find a place to put my roses then quickly change my top. When I get back, Dad’s standing with his hands behind his back and reading the activities board.
‘Seems like there’s plenty for everybody to do,’ he comments.
‘There’s a lot,’ I tell him. ‘But it’s a shame the yard isn’t in a better state. They could all go out a bit more. And some of the rooms are in desperate need of maintenance. There’s a hole in the wall upstairs.’
‘Are you ready for lunch?’
‘Sure,’ I tell him.
We walk about a hundred meters down the road to the nearest coffee house, but all the while I’m distracted by Nabila’s invitation to go to Rapture tomorrow night.
I’m honestly not sure I have the guts.
Number one, because if I go, Echo will kick me out again, or worse.
Number two, because I know the only reason I want to go is because there’s a small chance I could see AJ again.
I try to dismiss the idea outright. But the possibility lingers, and I’m a sad slave to hope.
The sane, normal part of my brain tells the flighty, romantic side to forget it. AJ is not interested in me. Our little road trip was a one-shot deal.
The flighty, dreamy side is already planning my car journey out to Rapture.
Get over yourself, Hollie.
We take a seat outside on the terrace, having ordered sandwiches and a couple of Cokes. Dad reaches into his suit jacket for a pair of sunglasses, which, judging by the way he looks in them, were picked out by Evelyn. ‘Still enjoying the volunteering?’ he asks.
I give a shrug. ‘Weirdly, I love it.’
‘Have you thought about what you might do next?’
There’s a moment of silence. I tilt my head a fraction. ‘Is that why you wanted to take me out for lunch?’
‘No, no,’ Dad hums. ‘Of course not. I just wondered if you’d thought about next steps. The offer is still there, you know. If you want to get a green card.’
I sigh inwardly. ‘I mean, it’s a lot of money. I wouldn’t feel comfortable you paying for it when I haven’t really decided what I want to do yet. If I should stay here, or if I should go back to England and try and find a job. I didn’t want to put pressure on myself.’
‘Of course not. You should come to the conclusion naturally.’
My lips thin as I offer him another smile. A waitress brings out our sandwiches. ‘It’s only that,’ he adds quietly. ‘Evelyn and I, we were talking and—’
He pauses, thanks the waitress and waits for her to leave us alone.
‘And what?’ I ask.
‘And, well, she thinks… and I can see where she’s coming from… that you living in the Eastvale apartment is, well… well we could rent it out to somebody. To a paying tenant.’
I swallow, suddenly not hungry.
‘She thinks you could perhaps move in with us instead.’