Hope You Love Me

Chapter 6

“I’m going to call Landon,” Rafael announced, pulling out his cell phone.

“No.” Hope set a hand on his arm. “There’s already four of us here and a fifth one on the way. What would making Landon leave work do?”

“He would want to know,” Rafael argued. 

“And he will know -” Hope crossed her arms. “- when he comes home after a good, long day of work.”

“You can’t stay here, Hope,” Josie said, pacing back and forth across the carpet. “If they know where you live, they could come back any time. They could come while you’re sleeping or when you’re not home. You should come stay with us. Lizzie and I could share a room for a bit or MG could crash on the couch -”

“Screw that,” Lizzie butt in loudly from where she was pacing in the opposite direction as Josie. “I’m calling Dad and he’s going to teach you how to shoot and then I’m getting you an early birthday present in the form of an effective - yet stylish - handgun.”

“Okay.” Hope threw up her arms. “You are all spiraling. We’re locking up and going to the store.”

Lizzie tilted her head. “For a gun?”

“No - well, maybe. But I want to change my phone number, I want to get some motion activated flood lights, I want a doorbell camera and some security cameras -” Hope counted off on her fingers the list she had run through in her head last night as she imagined worst-case scenarios. 

“Good, good.” Lizzie nodded, ushering Hope towards the door. “This is all very good.”

“You sound like you’ve thought about this before,” Josie prompted. 

“I like to have a plan. Now who’s driving?”

The four of them wandered through the aisles, reading every box of cameras. 

“This one calls the cops with a push of a button.” Lizzie looked down at the box appreciatively.

“You can access this one anytime from your cell phone.” Josie waved her box through the air. 

Rafael held up his. “You can talk to people through this one.”

“I want one that does all of that,” Hope said. “Find me one that does all of that.”

They bent their heads again and worked through the hundreds of options until Josie finally grabbed one triumphantly. 

“Here! Records a year of video, can alert authorities, connects to your smartphone, and has a microphone.” Josie handed her the box. “Just like you wanted.”

“Perfect.” Hope tossed the box in the cart. “Now I want some lights.”

They all stood in the checkout line together, Hope’s arms draped over the cart as she tapped her fingers impatiently. Lizzie and Rafael were debating what candy they should get while Josie fiddled on her phone. When they got to the front and everything was rung up, the three of them exchanged a glance at the price.

They knew the Mikaelson-Kirbys had money - Landon’s show was a hit and Hope’s art gallery was a huge success - but the price tag being more than all their rent combined was enough to cover the group in awkward silence. 

“Put your candy bars up there too,” Hope said, motioning to the conveyor. She raised her eyebrows at them. “What? I see you guys looking at it.”

“Fine.” Lizzie tossed hers up there. Free candy bar. “You don’t have to offer twice.”

Josie flung hers up with Lizzie’s but Rafael took his time setting his down. There were very few things he hated more than handouts, and he had already received more than his fairshare from the Mikaelson-Kirbys. Landon had not only let him crash in their guest room for nearly half a year when he was struggling, but he got Rafael his job working on set. He already owed them so much. He owed his brother much, much more than the thoughts he had about his wife. Maybe that was why he insisted Hope sit in the car while he unloaded the cart and why he was so quiet as he sat in the front seat, watching Hope through the window of the cell phone shop. 

Hope drummed her fingers on the counter while they worked to switch her phone number over. She could feel Rafael staring at her from the car, but she ignored him. She couldn’t be thinking about him as she gave her and Landon’s anniversary date as the pin for their account. She couldn’t be thinking about him, and she couldn’t be thinking about Ryan.

Ryan would be much easier to forget about. He lived a few towns over and rarely visited. He and Landon didn’t have a bad relationship. They just sort of … had no relationship. It wasn’t like there were any Kirby family get-togethers happening. Changing her number would be a clean break, which was exactly what she needed. 

“Alright.” Hope pulled her seatbelt on, tucking her phone between her legs. “Let’s get some lunch and head back.”