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“Hurry up,” Kinley mutters, tugging me by the hand.
“Willow!” Grandma Rose spots me from the pass-through to the kitchen and hands her spatula to some teenager I don’t recognize. She leans in and whispers something to the kid, then hurries to greet me with a grease-stained apron and suffocating hug. “You made it. I heard you were stranded with Mason last night.”
“Say that a little louder?” I mutter only loud enough for her to hear after three nearby tables snap their attention our way.
“We knew you were safe. Well, we didn’t know if Mason would—you know, never mind.” Grandma Rose pulls back and wipes her hands on her apron, as if hugging me has somehow dirtied them. I really need a mirror. Or maybe it’s best I don’t see how terrifying I look right now. “Girls!”
I spot my baby sister with a plate-filled tray balanced on one hand by a corner booth. She turns her head so quickly the tray wobbles. Her face lights up at the sight of me. At leastsomeoneis excited to see me. She attempts to wave, which is her downfall. I watch in horror as her full tray tips and an entire breakfast platter spills in the lap of Garrett Bradley, covering his police uniform in scrambled eggs and melted butter.
“For god’s sake,” Grandma Rose mutters, grabbing a towel from the kitchen. “You two, in the office. I’ll be right there.”
I follow Kinley into a cramped office that looks even more cluttered than I last remembered it. My sister has to be dying in side from the lack of organization in here.
“What movie?” Kinley asks.
“What?”
“You said you’ve got a lead role.” She pins me with a flat stare, her expression blank bordering on unimpressed. “What’s the name of the movie?”
“No congratulations? Or I’m so happy for you, this is your dream come true?” I shouldn’t press my luck, but I’ve never been good at shutting the hell up when I should.
She takes a big step toward me and gets right in my face. A finger jabs hard into my shoulder. But she ignores my cry. “Did you knowIwas the one who found your note?”
“I—”
“ThatIwas the one who had to tell Mason you ran away?”
Oh shit.“I didn’t—”
“Of course you didn’t! You didn’t stick around to watch everything fall apart—”
“I’m sorry, Grandma Rose.” Aurora’s pouty voice interrupts us as the office becomes even tighter.
“Accidents happen, sweetie.” Grandma Rose shoves her way in and closes the door behind her. The little office is way too cramped for the four of us. I don’t understand why we’re here or why this conversation can’t happen at her house. Maybe she wants to make sure none of us bolt. “Now look, I don’t have long. It’s a madhouse out there.”
“What’s going on Grandma Rose?” I implore. “Are you dying?”
Kinley whaps me hard with the back of her hand, the sting against my shoulder enough to make me yelp. Again. “Could youbeany more insensitive, Miss Hollywood?”
“Girls, that’s enough.” Grandma Rose brings out her stern don’t-fuck-with-me-today tone. It’s enough to silence us all. We snap to attention. “This bickering needs to stop. You’re grown ass women. And family. You need to start acting like it.”
Guilt squeezes me from the inside out, reminding me why we’re here. Grandma Rose summoned us all, insisting it was a matter of life and death. That nothing we were doing was more important than getting home to Caribou Creek as quickly as possible. I got that all through a text message I didn’t see for several hours since I was in the middle of a pity-party about my roommates kicking me out and too self-absorbed to notice.
“Are you sick?” Aurora asks, sounding so much like the little girl that used to follow me everywhere.
“Nope, got a clean bill of health from the doc just last week.”
The three of us let out a collective sigh of relief.
“Then what’s wrong?” I ask delicately, anticipating another whap from Kinley that doesn’t come. But I flinch anyway.
“Wrong? Nothing’s wrong.” We stare at our grandma, all equally confused. “I recently came into a lot of money and am taking a world cruise. I need you three to run the diner while I’m traveling.”
CHAPTER8
Mason
After a long shower where I jerk off to the memory of fucking Willow last night, I head to the diner to drop off her suitcase and meet Wes Ashburn. I forgot all about the appointment until he shot me a text an hour ago. I was tempted to reschedule, but he was insistent. Said I’d want to hear what he had to say.
