AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I’ll let them take care of me while I’m hurt. It’s best for everyone. Even me.
Eva busies herself with the bowls and spoons.
“What kind of soup did you bring?”
“Butternut squash,” she says with a smile.
“You brought Leo’s favorite soup, but not Leo?”
“First, it’s your favorite soup too.” True. It is. “And he wanted to come, trust me.”
“Why didn’t he, then?”
“He thought you’d want some time to get used to things before he barged in.”
“Oh my god. It’s not barging in if you’re invited. I’m texting him the second you walk out of here to tell him that’s bullshit.”
“No, no, no.” Eva settles into the second chair with a bowl of her own. “He’s really trying to give you your space. Let him think he’s doing something right for at least an hour after I leave.” A teasing smile. “He was the one who insisted on sending the soup.”
“I’m glad. It’s perfect.”
“I’ll let his cook know. I also brought rolls.” Eva holds up a paper bag and passes it to me.
“Isn’t this just classic Leo?” The rolls are fresh and soft, just like I knew they would be.
“He forbid me from bringing salad, even though it would have been good.” Eva rolls her eyes. “He said it would be sacrilege. Oh—and he also sent a new book, a new sketchbook, and some new colored pencils.” She had both bags hooked under her fingers when she came in. Tissue paper rustles as she goes through the brightly colored one. “And a puzzle book in case you didn’t feel like drawing.”
I laugh at her. “When you go back, please be sure to tell him that I’m okay, and not actually dying.”
“You tell him when you text him.” Eva’s eyes settle on me again. She chews at the inside of her lip. She’s always worried about everyone else. Her way is quieter than Leo’s, with fewer intense demands about safety and security. She doesn’t go after our enemies with knives. But she’s always thinking about us. Always texting us.
Eva’s the one who drops in at our parents’ house. Leo’s house, too.
It’s like she doesn’t want to turn her back for a second in case anything goes wrong. But then, when it inevitably does, she’s there to pick up the pieces.
She never wants anyone to worry about her, though.
“So,” I ask her as we eat our soup, Eva next to me with a blanket on her lap, the world beautiful outside the studio window. “How are things going with you?”
My older sister, who is the closest thing I’ve ever seen to a queen, suddenly looks shy. A blush stains her porcelain skin. “Fine.”
I struggle to keep my tone nonchalant. “Are you seeing anyone?”
“Seeing anyone? You might like dating?”
I remember what she said about that older man. About how it made her wary of trusting anyone. About how it hurt her for so many years. “Yes, dating. You’re beautiful and kind and every man in Bishop’s Landing wants you.”
She shakes her head. “They only want Dad’s money.”
I can’t deny that there are fortune hunters. They came after me, too. But I could usually see through them. I’m sure Eva can, too. “Don’t let that stop you from living your life. There are good men out there.”
“Good men like Emerson?” she asks, her voice teasing.
Now I’m the one blushing. “Don’t change the subject. What about Finn Hughes? He has so much money, there’s no way he’s interested in ours. And he’s not scared of Mom and Dad. Plus, he rescued you at Christmas.”
“He did not rescue me.” Eva scoffs, but a guarded expression shadows her eyes. “I allowed him the pleasure of my company. And—I liked his company, too. That’s all it was, though.”
Finn Hughes is handsome and rich, and he makes my sister blush. I hope he finds a way to break down her walls. Living in this family will mess you up. Whoever that older man was, he messed her up, too. Trust issues. We have them. But I hope he finds a way through.
