Page 19 of Meet Me in Ivy Falls

‘Beck, there’s a ladder about a foot below you. I’m going to grab your legs and guide them to the top step. When you feel your shoe hit metal, you need to start lowering yourself down. Slowly. You got it?’

‘Can your weight steady us both?’

I bit back the harsh words running through my head. So tired of people underestimating me just because I was small.

‘Yes, I’ve got you,’ I shot back.

‘Let’s do this quick then. My hands are slipping.’

I steadied my legs on the second step from the top and grabbed Beck’s calves. Pulling down, his muscles writhed under my grip. Heat moved up my arms. Now was not the time to think about Beck’s body, or what was underneath those track pants dangling above my head.

With a thud, Beck’s tennis shoes hit the top step. I inched down a step at a time, balancing my weight to keep the ladder from tipping while Beck lowered his body. When his feet hit the second step, all the air whooshed out of my lungs, my anger fading as soon as I knew he was safe.

Once back on solid ground, I held the ladder steady as Beck climbed down. Not a second after his feet landed on the dirty carpet, he pulled me into a tight hug.

‘Holy crap. That was a close one.’

The soapy scent of his skin, and the warmth of his touch, made me relax in his arms. It sent me back to the last night we spent in the tailgate of Sally Mae, watching the stars, kissing, undressing each other. His hands shook as he lifted my T-shirt over my head. Small gasps fled his lips as I pulled off his jeans. With the sounds of the lake lapping behind us, we crossed an intimate line both of us had been dancing around for a while. He whispered so many promises about our future. How after he returned home in a year nothing would keep us apart. I held on to those promises like people held on to their most prized possessions.

He placed his hands on my cheeks like he’d done when we were seventeen. Those same small gasps returned as he leaned in closer. Close enough to kiss.

‘Guess I should have known better than to climb up there,’ he whispered.

His words were like ice water being poured down my back and I shoved him away.

‘Why are you here by yourself? Only a dumbass would walk through this disaster zone without a licensed contractor!’

His eyes darkened. ‘Oh, so now I’m a dumbass?’

‘Damn right you are. Do you know how dangerous a house like this can be? Faulty wiring. Possible asbestos. Squatters. Tons of bad things, which of course, I’m sure you’re aware of now that you’ve taken out half the fucking ceiling!’

‘I didn’t think about any of that. All I wanted was to see the shape of the place. Know that it wasn’t some writhing pit of shit!’

‘Couldn’t you tell that the moment you came in here? The stench alone should have warned you. Not to mention the gouges in the floor and the holes in the walls.’

His eyebrows shot up. ‘You’ve been here before?’

‘Yes.’ I kicked at a piece of ragged ceiling near my left boot. ‘I needed to see it before the auction.’

‘How? I had to pretty much Mission Impossible my way inside.’

‘That doesn’t matter,’ I said, punching up the sides of the ladder and carrying it back downstairs.

Regret filled every inch of my bones. How had I gotten pulled back here again? I should have just told Diego to call the police or fire department to help Beck. But no, I had to step back into this living, breathing reminder of what I’d lost. How I’d failed my mom. Beck’s stupidity only served as a caustic reminder that he was out of his depth and going to screw this up.

‘You knew this place was a dump and you still wanted to buy it? Why?’ He was on my heels down the stairs and then raced past me blocking the bottom step.

‘Move,’ I gritted out.

‘No. I need to know the reason why you wanted this house.’ His arms stayed taut against the banister. ‘Please, Torran, tell me the truth.’

That single promise I’d made to my mom reverberated in my head but I pushed it away.

‘The house has great bones.’ I jabbed the top of the ladder against his arm, forcing him to move. Once I was out the busted front door, he caught up and met me stride for stride.

‘It would be a shame to let someone who knows nothing about its history come in and totally screw it up.’

I gave him a hard look as I stopped at the tailgate of the truck. ‘Don’t forget your promise, Beck.’