Read The Heart of a Girl (2) for Free Online Page B

wanted to find out on my own.
                  Harper was too deep asleep by then to care much about our visitor, so I kissed the top of her head and placed her in her crib, standing there for a few more seconds to make sure she remained asleep. Whoever was at the door was quickly growing impatient, their knocks becoming harder and more persistent.
                  “I’m coming,” I hissed, no longer convinced it was Julia. I threw the door open, and nearly fell over in surprise.
                  “Hannah?”
                  She grinned at me. She was different, at least a little bit. She’d cut her hair though it was still much longer than mine, and there were two very big, very bold purple stripes on the side. She wore black eyeliner, something she hadn’t really been a fan of before and a purple shirt that perfectly matched her hair. She’d lost a little bit of weight without losing the curviness that made her turn heads in the hallway at school all last year.
                  “Bet you weren’t expecting to see me,” she said, still grinning.
                  “No,” I admitted, and got out of my shock long enough to throw my arms around her. All that worrying for nothing. I didn’t know how I could have ever doubted that Hannah would find a way to end up back here. Haven was her home.
                  “Come in,” I said, ushering her into the house and closing the door behind her. “When did you get here? How?”
                  “Like, two hours ago but you know how the airport is. I flew in with Michael. He was going to come by with me but I made Mason drop me off on the way to Bella Vista. I figured you might not be ready to see him yet.”
                  “Did Nora come back?” I asked, ignoring any mention of my father. At least he had the common courtesy to stay away until I was ready. Or he hadn’t really felt like it anyway.
                  Hannah rolled her eyes. “Nope, she’s in Raleigh. Tried to make me go with her but that wasn’t happening, so she gave up. I’m staying with Michael until they figure out whatever’s going on, but it looks like they’re headed for divorce.”
                  “Wow,” I whispered, standing in the middle of the living room even after Hannah had taken a seat on the couch. She seemed surprisingly unaffected by the news she’d just sprung on me.
                  “It’s not that surprising, not after spending so much time with them. Seriously Lainey, they’re like the worst match ever. I don’t even know why they got married in the first place. Do you have any food? Michael went with the cheap airline and all we got was one pack of peanuts each and Michael didn’t even offer me his.”
                  “Yeah, of course.” I hurried to the kitchen and began scavenging for something Hannah could eat. I couldn’t seem to find anything but she came up behind me and held a bag of Doritos up.
                  “This should do.”
                  “I can make you something,” I offered, although I had no idea what I could make. I made a mental note to actually grocery shop next time I went to the market with Sylvia.
                  “I’ll live. I ate way too much on vacation, anyway. You wouldn’t believe how mad Mom got every time we went for fast food.”
                  “Why didn’t you go with her to Raleigh?” I asked, cutting to the chase. As happy as I was to see Hannah, it kept coming back to me how she could possibly be here instead of with her mother. If I knew Nora as well as I thought I did it made no sense.
                  “Can I see Harper first, at least?” Hannah asked and I wondered if she was avoiding the question or just honestly wanted to see her niece. I smiled and nodded yes.