Instead of familiar, numbing quiet, the house was full of half-heard footsteps, soft voices, and humming activity. Doors opened and closed, the stairs quivered like plucked strings, and Zoe’s nose untangled vivid threads of unfamiliar people-scent.
So, there were more of the ‘family’ here today. It was a whole new language—‘family’, ‘security’, and ‘advantages’ all taking on different meanings, like ‘gifts’ and ‘Christian’ changed shape when Mama met Bea, or ‘dates’ and ‘work’ once Royal knew he had a girl he thought was named Amber on a hook. Each time Zo landed in another school or town, she had to learn the lingo.
Most words were solid, but you couldn’t count on them staying that way.
Zoe peeked out her suite door at the now-familiar hall. She’d excused herself to get hair ties, sinc
