Page 90 of Just Like the Brontë Sisters

Chapter 58: Skylar

My cinnamon roll didn’t go down easy. What had I just done? Gavin seemed fine, licking the cream cheese frosting off his fingers and sipping his coffee, but I feared he was just putting up a good front. What if I had just destroyed him? With Jo Beth gone, Gavin was my best friend, the one person I could count on for understanding, the only guy who was unequivocally on my side. He must have noticed my slow bites; he must have seen me blink away tears. “What is it?” he asked sympathetically, when, after my treatment of him, he was the one who deserved compassion.

“I don’t want to lose you as a friend.”

“You won’t.” He reached out across the table and squeezed my hand. “We’ll get through this, Sky.”

I hiccupped. If he’d known that I’d cheated on him twice now, he wouldn’t be so sweet. “I don’t deserve you,” I said in a soft voice.

“You let me be the judge of that.”

There was a knock on the door.

“Are you expecting someone?” Gavin asked. “It’s awfully early. I wonder who it could be.”

“I’ll go see.” I knew Mitch would never knock; he’d just let himself in, but hope banged inside my chest nonetheless. When I opened the door and saw Magda on the other side, my cinnamon roll threatened to come up.

“Hello,” she said in her affected, generic accent. “Is Mitch ready to go?”

“Go? Go where?”

She shifted her weight and I glanced down, noticing the suitcase by her feet. “Mitch didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“Huh.” She looked past me. “He said he’d ask you to drive us to the airport.”

Gavin came over and put his hands on my shoulders. “Is there a problem?”

“No, not really,” Magda responded, though he hadn’t been talking to her. “But now I’m sorry I sent that taxi away.”

I shrugged off Gavin’s hands and spoke to Magda. “I thought you were in Florida.”

“No…” she drew out the one syllable as if it were five, implying that I was dim, incapable of comprehension. “I stayed in a hotel last night. Mitch said it would be best. I guess you don’t like me much?” She arched an eyebrow and laughed.

I refused to respond.

“Anyway,” she continued, “Mitch and I have a plane to catch and we need to get a move on.” She turned toward Gavin. “Any chance you could give us a ride to the airport?”

A flush crept up Gavin’s neck. “I have no idea where Mitch is, but he isn’t here. And even if he was, there’s no way in hell I’m giving you a ride, not when you helped murder Jo Beth.”

“Gavin!” I yelled.

He yelled back. “You know I’m right, Sky. Why are you being so polite?”

“Never mind,” Magda said. Her chest caved in and she seemed smaller. “I didn’t kill your sister,” she said in a scary-quiet voice. “Jo Beth was capable of murder, not me.” She paused, straightening her shoulders, and regaining her composure. “Anyway, if you see Mitch, can you please say that I’m looking for him?”

“Did I mince my words?” Gavin’s face now matched the red of his neck. “Neither of us will ever do you a favor. Now go away!” And with that, he slammed the door.

I stood there immobile, unable to process all this new information. I couldn’t figure out which new nugget held the most shock value: Magda was still in town, Mitch was missing but he’d planned to leave for Florida today, or that Gavin was a badass. It was all too much, and I’m ashamed that I just couldn’t process. I held my hands over my face and began to cry. Gavin had been watching me and instantly he folded me into his arms.

“Hey, don’t worry,” he said. “Mitch and Magda might make it to Florida, but we’ll still prove their guilt. We’ll make them pay for what they did.”

I knew it wasn’t right to lean on him, but I let my cheek rest against Gavin’s sturdy shoulder anyway. And I sobbed.