AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The ground shifts under my feet, a precursor to a free fall.
“Please, Lucas,” I whisper. “Just… give me some time. I’m not saying no. I’m saying I’m not ready. It’s been a week.”
“A week,” he echoes, nodding. Some of the wildness leaves his eyes, but to my dismay, what replaces it is a blankness I also recognize, one that means he’s retreating into himself. “That makes sense. You’re absolutely right.”
“Lucas—”
The smile he gives me is so fake my hand itches to slap it off his face. “I completely understand. I pressured you and I shouldn’t have.”
“You’re under a lot of stress,” I say weakly. “It’s okay.”
He glances at his watch. “I just remembered I have a meeting with our marketing guy in twenty. Can you do me a huge favor and run the paints and supplies up to the Art Barn?”
“Sure, no problem.”
Another forced smile. “Great. Thanks, Celeste. And the sign looks amazing.”
Nothing about this feels right, but I’m powerless to find the words to change it. All I can do is watch him walk to his car, unload the bags from the trunk, then get inside and start the engine. With a brief wave in my direction, he flips a U-turn and disappears.
38
Michelle blows on her steaming coffee, too smart to take a sip even though she’s jonesing for it after her early flight. Joan’s behind the counter of Anne’s Pie Shoppe this morning, and we both know she sets the heat on the coffee machine to nuclear. Burned tongues are a rite of passage at Anne’s, but we learned our lessons young.
I fish an ice cube out of my water glass and drop it in my own coffee, ignoring the sniff of affront from my sister. She considers watered-down coffee a travesty.
“Her point is valid,” she says, finally giving up on the caffeine and taking a sip of her own water. “I mean, you basically backed her into a corner. We’re talking about Celeste, dude. She’s almost as stubborn as you. Or she was.”
“She still is,” I grumble.
“Have you talked to her since Wednesday?”
“Just a few phone calls. Work related. I’m trying to keep things professional, like she wants.”
What I don’t say is how hard it’s been to keep away from her for the last two days. I’m almost grateful for the massive distraction of the intervention today.
Almost.
“You’re an idiot.”
Michelle stares me down, her eyes laser focused despite being bloodshot—eyes the same eerie, pale hazel as our father’s. Whereas I take after our mom in coloring, she takes after him. But it’s never bothered me. She’s his opposite in every way.
Before I can ask my oh-so-wise little sister why I’m an idiot, Joan approaches our table with two plates. Mine is a basic egg and veggie scramble, while Michelle’s plate is piled high with pancakes, sausage, hash browns, and eggs smothered with cheese.
“Joan, you’re a saint,” she gushes.
“Don’t I know it.” She slides a few napkins and the bill onto the table. “You sticking around too, kiddo?”
“Just for a few days,” Michelle says around a bite of sausage. “I missed my big brother.”
“Huh. Here I thought it was a family reunion. Saw your aunts and uncle at the grocery store last night.”
Michelle chokes. Joan pounds her back until she waves her off. “Jesus, Joan. Been lifting weights?”
“You caught us,” I tell Joan with forced levity. “If you see my mom, don’t tell her anything. It’s a surprise reunion.”
Joan gives me a look that’s too perceptive for my liking but nods and meanders away.
“Fucking Sun River,” Michelle mumbles. “And what the hell were they thinking? I thought you said they promised to lay low until this afternoon.”
