Free Finding Ashlynn by Zoe Lynne Page B

was more food than Ash had seen in a very, very long time and, as the different smells wafted up and filled her nose, her mouth started to water and her stomach started to growl. But she didn’t immediately dig in like normal. Ash didn’t know if Jenna’s family was the type to say a prayer before stuffing their faces, and the last thing she wanted to do was disrespect her prospective girlfriend’s family.
    Heavy footfalls slapped against the floor behind them. Ash couldn’t help turning around, even though she knew she would find Jenna’s very large father walking into the room. She spun around in time to catch Jenna leaning up to kiss her daddy’s cheek. He smiled and gave her a hug before joining Ash at the table. Ash tried not to stare.
    “Ashlynn, right?” Jenna’s father asked.
    “Yes, sir.”
    “Glad you could join us for breakfast,” he said.
    “Thank you for having me.” Remember your manners.
    “You plan on eating that?” He nodded toward the pile of food in front of her.
    When he picked up his fork and dug in, Ash silently said her thanks and followed his lead. She didn’t do well with breakfast table prayers, or prayers at all, for that matter. A bad experience at church as a child sort of put her off the idea of praying to any sort of god ever again.
    By the end of breakfast, she realized she adored Jenna’s parents almost as much as she adored Jenna. They were both smart and funny and extremely loving. They accepted their daughter without question and seemed to love her unconditionally. What wasn’t to love about Jenna, though?
    Before Ash knew it, noon was fast approaching, and practice started at three. She hated to say good-bye but really had no choice if she wanted to get to the garage on time. Jenna walked her out to her car, and she stole one last kiss and promised Jenna they would see each other again, then she tore out of there and headed home with the lingering taste of Jenna’s sweet kiss still on her lips.

Chapter Fourteen
     
    H ALF past three, and Jenna still hadn’t heard from Ash. She tried like hell not to worry, but she couldn’t help herself. At this point, she thought she wouldn’t hear from the girl she only wanted to spend, like… every single waking freaking moment with.
    She held her phone in one hand, worried her bottom lip with the other, and paced back and forth across the expanse of her bedroom—from the bookshelf to the bed, from the bed to the desk, then back again. Her happy little world felt like it was slowly crumbling away.
    The sound of her phone chiming startled her so badly, not only did she jump, but the phone fell from her hand. Exhaling sharply, she bent down to pick it up, and when she looked at the screen, she had a new message from Ash. It was the address of the place where she was supposed to meet Ash for band practice.
    The wave of relief that hit her wasn’t like anything she’d ever experienced. She’d never worried about something so much before, never had that nail-biting, waiting for word, heart-stopping moment where everything in the world hung from a tightly pulled string and one gentle pluck had the potential to ruin it all. Sure, the world wouldn’t have truly ended had Ash not texted her, but that’s how it felt right now. And that’s when Jenna realized how badly she’d fallen for Ash.
    On her way out the front door, she sent back a text saying she was on the way and would be there within twenty minutes. Ash didn’t respond, but she didn’t need to.
    The entire drive over to Ash’s practice space, Jenna processed the truth about her feelings for the purple-haired punky bass player who’d waltzed into her world about three weeks ago, who never left despite them being worlds apart. It seemed so damn ridiculous and so freaking immature to have feelings for someone so fast, but Jenna couldn’t help herself. She’d had that moment where time froze and nothing around her existed because the other part of her soul had walked