AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I’m about to ask him what he means about Lyndsey killing him, though I suppose it’s somewhat obvious, when the front door of the Climbing Rose and the back door open at the same time. Ms. T hurries in with a pitcher of lemonade, and Lyndsey, Grace, and Oscar set the bells jingling.
I catch Ms. T’s eye as she sets the pitcher down on the counter and shake my head, mouthing,Don’t say anything.
She frowns at me, as if to say,Seriously?
I nod, and her frown deepens, her eyes assessing Rowan in a manner that’s close to disapproval. But, a moment later, there’s a big smile on her face as she rushes out to greet Grace, swinging the little girl up into her arms and whirling her around.
“There’s my sweet peach!” Ms. T cries, as Grace laughs.
“I missed you, Ms. T!”
Ms. T envelopes her in a hug. “I missed you too, munchkin. I hear you’re wantin’ yourself a fine book for your birthday. How old are you this time? Thirty-two?”
“I’m eight!” Grace cackles, clinging to her dear friend.
“Eight? Goodness. You’re catching up to me.”
Grace shakes her head. “That’s impossible! You’re… lots older.”
“Oh, you cheeky devil.” Ms. T beams from ear to ear, and I can tell she’s missed Grace as much as Grace has missed her. I’ve missed Ms. T, too, more than I can put into words. In fact, I’m wishing I came here on my own, so I could’ve asked for her advice about Rowan’s reluctance. Doesn’t he understand that there’s no use in wasting time? Or maybe he’s just not as sure about me as I am.
Just then, Lyndsey walks over to the counter, while Grace and Ms. T go to pick out a book. Oscar gives us some space, wandering over to the thriller section, and with every step that Lyndsey takes toward me, my heart pounds harder. Can she see it on our faces, the way Ms. T could? Does she already suspect something? I really don’t want to have to lie to her, but I get the feeling that Rowan will be pissed with me if I go against his thinly veiled wishes.
“How are you feeling?” Lyndsey launches straight in, putting her arm around her brother’s shoulder.
Rowan’s brow creases. “What do you mean?”
“Mae said you weren’t feeling well. I can’t believe you’ve got that poor woman bringing you soup, when you look just fine. Is this the post-thirty, three-day hangover? I thought I was going to die the morning after the party, but you don’t see me taking advantage of the staff.”
I blink in disbelief. Somehow, Mae has covered our asses, but how could she possibly know where Rowan was since last night?
“It was the soup,” Rowan replies haltingly. “Fixed me up.”
Lyndsey narrows her eyes. “You could’ve at least waited for us but Mae said you’d gone already.” She moves her attention to me, pulling me into a hug. “I’m glad you came. I was worried you’d dropped off the face of the Earth after being back at that cottage.”
“Not quite,” I say, hugging her back.
But as Lyndsey pulls away, confusion darkens her expression. “What’s up with the pair of you? You’re acting all weird. Did we walk in on an argument or something? Is it that Levi guy? Has he been around again?”
“Just disagreeing on what’s better in book form—romance or horror,” Rowan jumps in, and my heart sinks. If that wasn’t the perfect opportunity to come clean, I don’t know what is, and he just let it pass by, choosing deceit instead. And after all that Lyndsey has done for me, that doesn’t sit well at all.
Lyndsey laughs, relaxing. “Romance, obviously.”
“Exactly,” I reply, “but only if it has a happy ending.”
I flash Rowan a pointed look because, right now, I’m not convinced that this one does… and that terrifies me, far more than any horror.
26
ROWAN
“I’ve fucked it up,” I whisper to my phone, as I sit out at the bottom of Summer’s garden. “In one whole day, I’ve managed to fuck it up.”
I hold my head in my hands, the damp grass soaking into the seat of my jeans. Across the dark water, something disturbs a flock of birds, exploding them up from the islands of sawgrass and into the starry night.
“I really think I screwed it up, and I don’t know how to fix it,” I continue. “She’s inside, acting like everything is fine, but I know it’s not. We slept together just now and it wasn’t the same. She was… distracted. I can’t explain it, but I know it’s because of me. Actually, I can explain it—I think I let her down. She was ready to tell everyone, and there’s a part of me that was too, but… I couldn’t do it. All my life, I’ve been the one who tries not to rock the boat, but I should’ve just been the bigger person and given it a little shove today.
“I have to leave tomorrow, but I don’t want to leave it like this. I mean, I said I’d take her lead, but when it came to it, I went off and did my own thing, lying to my own sister when I’ve got nothing to be ashamed about. I’ve never felt this way about someone before, and sure, it might be messy and inconvenient for Lynds, but she’s going to have to get used to it because I don’t plan on letting Summer go. Trouble is, right now, I feel like Summer is loosening her grip on me. Some self-preservation thing, maybe, and who could blame her?
