Read Under the Summer Sky Online Free by Keely Weis

“But—”

“No blaming anyone. Not you. Not Jude. Not Damiano. This is a messy fucking situation and you’re lost. If time is what you need, then you take it, however much you need, and no matter what you decide, I’m here. Okay?”

I nod against her.

“I didn’t know he felt like that,” I whisper.

Because he kissed me back.

God, did he kiss me back.

Chiara is quiet for a second.

“Nora, that man spent an entire summer taking care of you and being patient with you, and let me tell you, you were not a nice person when you left Chicago.”

I glare at her.

“Truth hurts.”

“Fuck you.”

“Love you too.” She smiles, then grows serious again. “But he stayed. He helped you. He stood beside you. He brought you all the way to Italy because you needed to bring your husband’s ashes home, and if that wasn’t enough, every time I look at the two of you, Jude is somewhere close by. His eyes are on you, making sure you’re okay, like he’s just waiting to catch you if you fall.”

I swallow.

And suddenly...

I see it.

The entire summer comes back to me like the sun rising in the morning, slowly illuminating things that were there all along. The food, the horses, the sunrise, his hoodie, his quiet You okay?, Italy, every time I cried and he stayed and every time I laughed and found him already watching me.

“I thought he was my best friend,” I whisper. “You know... a friend helping a friend.”

Chiara smiles.

“A hot friend.”

“Stop it!”