Page 56 of Acadia Falls

OMG, too many margaritas last night. At least we got back before the storm got crazy!

Tori and I are going off-island to shop. I’d ask you to join, but I know better than that.

Good luck with con law!

She’d doodled an arrow pointing to my textbook, which I’d left on the counter.

Good luck, indeed. I grabbed my book, made myself a coffee, and changed out of my clothes. Jack had somehow managed to wash and dry them for me in the middle of the night, maybe on his way to sleep in the truck. I wished I could throw them out, but I didn’t have the money to replace them.

Once I returned to New York and started earning my salary, I would burn all my clothes from this summer.

Not that I cared. Not that I was upset about anything.

Just fucking because.

Armed with coffee, clean sweats, and my books, I headed to the kitchen island. I’d never been so happy in all my life that I had an enormous exam coming up. I didn’t want to think about anything other than torts, con law, and contracts. There was a feeling down deep in my gut, a heaviness that made me feel slightly sick. I ignored it. I had a sip of coffee. I opened my notebook and grabbed my pen. I got down to work.

Hard work, diligence, organization… these were the cornerstones of my existence. They were things that couldn’t be taken away from me; they were mine. I said a silent prayer of thanks as I settled in for the long hours ahead of me. I was alone with my work. That was safe. That was where I belonged.

No one could touch me here. Not even Jack Brennan.

Chapter Twenty-Three

JACK

When I pulled in, my mother was sitting on the front steps, a mug of coffee in hand. Her hair was in a low ponytail, wisps hanging around her face. She looked tired, like she hadn’t slept well.

Just another thing for me to feel guilty about.

“You should’ve called your brother this morning.” She eyed me over her mug. “He’s upset that you guys are missing another day.”

“We haven’t missed a day. And he knew I was going off-island.” Christ, Tommy had been the one to tell me to go. “Where is he?”

“At the lot,” she answered. “Cutting down trees.”

I groaned. When he was upset, which wasn’t often, Tommy would go to the undeveloped land my family owned and fire up his chainsaw. “Can I at least get a coffee?”

My mother sighed as she went inside. When she returned with my favorite insulated travel mug, I knew she wasn’t that mad. “How’s your lawyer-friend?”

I shrugged. “She’s fine.”

Mom brushed the hair back from her eyes. “Well, you don’t look fine.”

“Neither do you.” I had a sip of my coffee, which had just the right amount of oat milk. “I better go see about Tommy.”

“We need to get back to that lady—they won’t stop calling. We have to decide, Jack.” She searched my face. “Do you know what you want to do?”

“I don’t. It’s a lot of money, though.”

“It sure is.” She frowned. “Let’s talk about it at dinner, okay? I’m making a roast.”

“You are?” Rose Brennan was thrifty, and we usually only had roasts on holidays.

She lifted her chin. “I need to get you boys home somehow.”

“I’ll be there. Thanks for the coffee.” I headed back to the truck, then bumped over the dirt road to the lot. My parents had purchased the undeveloped land years ago for next to nothing. It was a nine-acre parcel in the middle of the island—three acres for each of us. My parent’s dream was that each of their boys would build a house and raise a family on LSI.

We hadn’t made much progress on that. Not one of us.