AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“‘Solving this puzzle will be a great adventure that takes you beyond your comfort zones. It’ll be humbling and educational. It will require careful thought, collaboration, courage, and strength. Think of any setbacks as opportunities. Learn while you wait and learn to wait. You win if you don’t quit. Go forth and find her. Godspeed and may the wind and tide be ever in your favor. The end.’”
Her gaze lifts to mine. It’s the perfect package, a gift really: Harley’s eyes and lips. Even though she doesn’t have great eyesight and even though she doesn’t always say what I want to hear—like acknowledging that I think she’s hot or saying yes to being together with me freshman year—I could speak clearer too.
“Ryan, what if Chip wasn’t giving you questions to answer, but simply wanted to stoke your curiosity?”
My mind wakes up with a jolt at that possibility. “Could be. Knew there was a reason I kept you around, kiddo.”
“I thought it was Nugget.”
“Toots?”
She kicks me under the table.
“Ow. Careful with those tootsies.”
Royal appears and tilts his head toward me. “The two of you have been flirting since you were thirteen, so I’m not sure whether this is a good thing or if I should get the firehose now that you’re seated together at a table in public.”
“Is that what you call flirting?” Harley asks.
“More like taking the snot out of each other.” The words are almost robotic, scripted, so no one thinks we’re a “thing.”
“Don’t make it sound so sexy,” Royal says.
“It’s just proof that we’re frenemies,” Harley adds.
“Welcome to the Driftwood, we hope you’ve enjoyed dinner at the patio,” Royal says, moving past our banter.
“You deserve the atomic elbow,” I mutter.
Royal steps back. “What memory hole did you dredge that one out of?”
“Harley and I have been reminiscing. She was just reading Chip’s will. So not flirting. She’s wildly impressed that he left me a diary.”
“And a pen,” Royal adds.
“A pen with a plume.” Which makes about as much sense as Royal thinking that Harley and I have been flirting.Pshaw.
“By the way, have you read the diary?” Royal asks.
“No. It’s in the safe.”
“Why?” my twin asks.
“To keep it safe.”
“From who? What? Obviously, he wanted you to read it.”
“Even if the printing was anywhere near legible, which it’s not, I can’t read it.” I couldn’t bring myself to.
Harley crosses her arms in front of her chest. “You think we’re that gullible? You can’t read? Really, Ryan? Your brother knows you’re not illiterate. You’re some other kinds ofiterate, but not that.”
Royal laughs in public, a rare sight.
“What’s iterate?” I ask.
Harley scowls at me. “I don’t know. It just makes you sound dumb.”
“You sound dumb.”
