Scarlet Awakening (Sweet Secrets #2) by Taylor Henderson Read Free Book Online

fun.”
    “Yeah, it does.” I was actually excited at the idea of going out. I just hoped I didn’t run into anyone and managed to keep a low profile. “Hopefully this plan works. If it doesn’t, and we have to go back to the drawing board, I don’t know what we’ll do.” Our only other option right now was to scan the picture and do a reverse image search.
    Ella leaned farther back into the couch and grasped her hands together tightly. “Oh, it’ll work.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I know Mom. She definitely wrote this guy’s name down at some point.”
    “I hope so.”
    We sat in silence for what felt like an hour. Finally we heard footsteps on the stairs. Grandma emerged first, dressed comfortably in a sundress, and Mom followed behind her. She was also dressed in a sundress, but despite the brightness of her clothing, there was still darkness in her eyes. She smiled when she saw us.
    “Hey girls, we’re going to head out for a few hours for a mother-daughter spa day. If you need us, just give us a call on one of our cells.” She adjusted her purse on her arm before saying, “See you in a bit.”
    “Have fun,” Ella and I said simultaneously.
    They thanked us, then waved and headed for the door. Mom exited first, and as Grandma pulled the door shut behind her, she poked her head in and said, “No boys allowed.” Then she winked and shut the door.
    We waited until we heard the car backing out of the driveway before we both made a mad-dash off the couch, up the stairs, and down the hall toward our mom’s room. Even in heels, Ella moved just as quickly as I did. We came to a stop at the door, both glancing at each other, silently asking who was going to open the door.
    “It was your idea,” I said, earning a groan from Ella.
    She reached out to twist the knob and push the door open. The room was neat. Bright sunlight streamed through the windows.
    Ella took the first step inside and I followed.
    “Where do you think she would put it?” she questioned.
    I shrugged, walking toward the bed. “Under a pillow? Or is that too simple?”
    Ella shook her head. “Check. I’m sure she didn’t hide it expecting people to try and find it. She probably hid it in a simple place.”
    With a sigh, I slid my hands under her pillows, feeling for the journal. When I found nothing, I checked the inside of each pillowcase to see if it was hidden there. While I searched the bed, Ella went to her dresser to pull out each drawer and go through it.
    “Find anything?” Ella asked.
    “Nope,” I answered simply, popping the ‘p.’
    “Me neither,” she mumbled back. Then with a groan she added, “Goodness, Mom sure does have a lot of thongs.”
    I laughed at that. “More than you?”
    “Hell yeah. She has a drawer full.”
    I shook my head, still laughing lightly as I put a throw pillow back into place. “Good for her! She’s single now, and she’s lost weight. She deserves to feel sexy, if you ask me.”
    Ella gagged. For a girl who was nearly seventeen, she was still very immature. “I guess,” she muttered, closing the drawer.
    I ignored her words and bent down to check under the mattress. I lifted it lightly, and did my best not to mess up the neat way that the sheets were tucked in as I did so. As I swiped my hand under the mattress, my fingers brushed along the edge of a book.
    “I found it!” I screeched, happy that no one was here to hear my cry but Ella. It truly was a good thing that we got rid of everyone for a few hours.
    Ella was beside me in a heartbeat. “Open it,” she demanded.
    “No,” I responded to her order, handing it to her. “Your idea,” I reminded.
    She huffed, but still grabbed the book and flipped it open to the beginning. My mom’s neat handwriting covered each page from top to bottom. It looked like she wrote in it every day. The entries began in late August, not long after the twins’ birth—around the time that she had started seeing a therapist.
    My eyes