AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her serious tone causes my shoulders to tighten with tension. Uneasiness wraps around my neck, squeezing tighter. “Should I be nervous?”
She reaches across the table and curls her hand over mine. “I love you like you were my own sister, but your mom.” She pauses to blow out a breath.
“I know,” I whisper quickly. Dread coils in my gut at whatever shitty thing my mom has done. Maybe it has something to do with Nana Jo's will or some argument she had with Aunt Hazel. But it doesn't really matter what she's done, because I can't change any of it. And I'd just as soon not hear about it. Not when I'm already feeling bummed out.
She shakes her head slowly, regret painting her features. “Look, I'm just going to say it, okay? Your mom, she's fucked up. She fucked you up—and your sister too.”
“Why are we talking about this?” I shift in my seat, withdrawing my hands from Cora's grip to fold them tightly across my chest.
“Hey, no. Don't do that. That's not—shit.” She sighs and runs her hand through her hair. “Your mom is a shark in the boardroom, right? She's one at home too.”
“She's more like an orca,” I mutter.
Her lips part and her brow bunches up over her bright blue eyes. “What?”
I flick my hair over my shoulder and fiddle with the ends of my curls. “Did you know that sharks will flee their favorite, several-generation-old spots when an orca whale simply swims into it?”
She tilts her head to the side and looks at me. “No, how do you know that?”
I lift a shoulder into a careless shrug. “Saw it on a docuseries about the ocean.”
I'm downplaying that a bit. I might've gotten a bit obsessed with ocean life last summer after I saw this girl on social media free-diving with sharks. It was wild.
“Right. Well, actually, yeah, that works. Aunt Ginny isdefinitelya killer whale, an apex predator for sure. But Eve, you're not a shark. You're like an adorable otter, just swimming along and loving life.”
“Okay,” I drag the word out, confusion muddling up this analogy. “I think.”
“Okay, so this analogy got a little out of hand. But all I'm saying is that it's good to see you more like yourself. And in jean shorts and cowboy boots, too!”
I glance under the table at them, their brightness vibrant even in the shadows. “I do love these boots. I always have.”
“I'm just really happy you're staying in Rosewood, and not only because I get to see you whenever I want. But I'm happyforyou. Because I think this is going to be good for you. Really good.”
I feel my shoulders relax a little. “I think so too.”
“I've missed you, Eve,” she whispers. And I just know she's not talking about physically seeing me.
My eyes sting with unshed tears and my throat tightens. I didn't expect the conversation to take this kind of turn. I look at her, blinking several times to clear my vision. I reach across the table and clasp her hand. “I've missed me too.”
Her eyes well up with tears, the two of us looking at one another with small, matching grins. We pull apart, and I swipe my index finger underneath my lower lashes, catching any stray tears.
“Gosh, you got all of that from some boots?” I laugh, this watery flutter of amusement.
She leans back against the booth, her lips twisting to the side. “Well, I have been binging some excellent shows. I'm practically an armchair psychologist now.”
A laugh sputters out of me, and I look at my cousin with enough love and affection to fill this entire restaurant.
“Let's order our weight in French fries and milkshakes.wWill you tell me all about your date withHe Who Shall Not Be Named?.I've been patiently waiting for you to tell me about it, but it's been three days, and I'm not a saint, babe.”
27
EVANGELINE
“So, he justghostedyou?”she asks, her face screwing up in disbelief. It smooths out quickly, too quickly, really. “I'm going to kill him.”
“Should I be alarmed by how quickly you go from confused to murderous?” I'm only half-joking.
Cora has always been fiercely protective of me, and I love her all the more for it. But I don't want her to get into any trouble.
