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“This stuff with Nora been that bad?”
“No,” she said. “I mean, maybe… That’s the thing. I was barely tuned into her issues. I… was just so wrapped up in my own.”
“Understandable,” said Gavin. “I’ve barely spoken to my grandma since graduation, let alone my sister.”
“Yeah, but you’re not stilllivingwith them.” She winced. She didn’t mean to bring up memories of how he hadn’t lived with his sister for years thanks to his bigoted parents. Was there no one without this kind of family drama? “Sorry,” she said.
He shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pockets, staring at his feet. Brielle wondered if he wanted to say more, but he seemed to be stopping himself. Whatever his issues—or Lilac’s for that matter—perhaps he thought it inappropriate at the moment.
“Hey,” said Brielle, gently putting a hand on his shoulder. “Thanks again. I… I don’t even know why I called you.” She chuckled lamely. “What did I think you could do that I couldn’t, just because you could get here first?”
“It often helps to have someone else present for family drama,” said Gavin. “People tend to hold their tongues a little. Well,somepeople.” He shrugged. “I don’t mind. You don’t have to feel bad about relying on your friends, Brielle.”
“Yeah, but… You have your own stuff to worry about.”
He grimaced. “I’d rather not think about all of that right now anyway. And this is more important.”
Brielle raised an eyebrow, unsure if she’d consider her sister acting like a bratty teenager that important, really. Especially since they’d likely catch her before she got anywhere, and if she really was about to visit Lita, she didn’t think she’d be in any danger anyway. “Is Lilac okay…?” she asked, remembering Gavin’s anxieties from that morning. That morning. It felt like weeks ago.
A muscle on Gavin’s cheek twitched. “She needs some space right now.” He swallowed, and Brielle felt a bit of a sinking feeling in her stomach. What if Gavin had been right about Lilac’s boss? “What about you? What happened on your date?”
Brielle felt the heat rush to her face—and at the thought of Archer and what she’d done, the heat wasn’t content to just stay confined to the upper portion of her body. “It may have… gone a little better… than expected.”
His eyes widened and he looked around the room for an approaching employee. “I… want to know more, but I’m afraid you’ll just be getting to the good part when someone walks up. Whereisthe manager, anyway?”
Brielle’s brow furrowed as she scanned her phone for any new messages, but her mom hadn’t texted since confirming Brielle’s detective work and saying she was on her way. How would this evening have played out if her sister hadn’t gone all drama queen to the extreme? She supposed it was too late to go “dinner and a movie” on Archer now that she’d slept with him. She wondered if it had been a good idea to basically define their relationship in terms of a hookup—even if she’d told herself it wasn’t exactly like she was in a good place in her life to commit.
And then there was the fact that he was—had been—a virgin. Wouldhetake their fling to mean more than it did?
Was she so certain it didn’t mean more than she told herself it did?
“Miss Reyes?” A stern-looking woman in an airline uniform approached Brielle and Gavin from behind.
“Yes,” said Brielle, snapping to attention.
“We have your daughter in security; if you’ll follow me.” She turned on her heel.
“Sister,” muttered Brielle, exchanging a look with Gavin. She couldn’t possibly look old enough to have a teenager, could she?
Couldshe?
Stepping onto the escalator, Gavin studied her face and laughed. “You don’t look forty-five, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
Brielle winced and finished her text to her mom as she stepped in line behind him. The thought was quickly pushed to the back of her mind a few minutes later as she got to the security office and came face-to-face with her sister, a gym bag stuffed under her seat and her arms crossed so tight it looked like she was trying to squeeze the breath out of herself.
At least she’s safe, thought Brielle.
“What areyoudoing here?” Nora stared up at Brielle and then Gavin, trying to send daggers at them with her eyes. She looked like an angry toddler painted up to slightly resemble a mature college-aged woman. If the situation weren’t such a hassle, Brielle might have laughed.
* * *
“Ireally shouldn’t have botheredyou with all this,” said Brielle, gesturing around her at the airport as they exited the security room. Her mom was still back there with Nora, trying to get all the paperwork sorted out to get a partial refund on the ticket. Brielle clapped her hands together and cringed. “I’m sorry.”
“Are you kidding? That was… interesting.” Gavin chuckled, shoving his hands back into his pockets.
His presence had kept things a little less heated than they might have otherwise been once her mom had shown up. Maybe the security guards alone would have been good for that, but like Brielle had guessed, Gavin had taken charge immediately, sitting next to Nora and letting her vent without judgment. Brielle had had to bite her tongue and feign interest in her phone to keep from commenting more than once, but Gavin had taken it like a champ and tried to slowly, but surely, get Nora to acknowledge that she was going about everything the wrong way.
That she was almost eighteen and she could travel on her own at that point, but until then, it was best to save. And there would be a language program next summer—a goal to work toward this year.
