Total pages in book: 166
Estimated words: 157273 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 786(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 157273 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 786(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
“How uncharacteristically selfless. You know I saw you, right?”
That had me turning to look at Anne over my shoulder.
“That morning before the Classic.” Her knuckles whitened on the door handle. “Tucked away with Lina in the back hallway. Whatever you were doing, it wasn’t something you wanted anyone else to see.”
A muscle in my jaw ticked. “Nothing went on between Lina and me.”
“And yet your family ended up with her daughter.” Anne’s shoulders straightened.
Looking up at the sky, I muttered a quick prayer for patience, then walked down the porch steps. “You know, Allie’s walls were about six feet high as a teenager, just short enough for me to peek over. I was never foolish enough to think she let me all the way in, not with the way you Rousseau girls keep secrets for each other.” Allie had only let me into the places she felt safe enough to share. I turned at the base of the steps to face Anne. “But now, those walls are thick as hell and easily twenty feet tall, if not more, which is fine—I know how to climb—but we both know those bricks aren’t all because of me.”
Anne paled and looked away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Almost forgot how good you guys are at lying too. What did your mother do? Did she wait a day, or was it a month before she expected Allie to fill Lina’s shoes? Was she even allowed to recover? Is that why she’s training herself into exhaustion now?” I took a stab with the last one.
The way Anne drew back told me I’d hit the mark. “Asks the man who left for basic without so much as stopping by the hospital.”
“Yeah.” I nodded, accepting the pain of the truth she hurled my way. “I fucked up. But have you admitted the same? I should have been there, but you were.” My teeth ground.
“I was . . . in college.” Anne tugged the cardigan so hard I expected it to rip. “And I’m keeping an eye on her training—on her—now. Thank you for doing this, Hudson, but make no mistake. I want to know my niece, but not at the expense of ruining Allie. If you so much as think about hurting my sister again, I won’t keep my mouth shut this time around. I’ll tell her I saw you with Lina.”
“Go ahead and tell her.” I headed toward my truck. Guess Anne didn’t need the pointe shoes to learn a few things from her mother. I looked back over my shoulder and reached for the keys in my pocket. “We’re on the same team, Anne. I want what’s best for Juniper and Allie. The only place our interests diverge is Caroline, who I will choose over you every time, just like you’d choose your own sister.” I gestured between us as I rounded the hood. “Same team. Stop trying to draw my blood. Leaving Allie the first time bled me dry already.”
“You sure she’s coming?” Juniper whispered that Saturday as she hopped out of my truck.
“She said she was.” I reached into the bed and pulled out two of the biggest bags 7-Eleven kept in stock, which were hopefully enough for Caroline. “And I’ve never known Alessandra to lie.”
Juniper chewed on her bottom lip but eventually nodded. “And you think you can fool Mom?”
“Worrying about the viability of your plan?”
“No.” She kept one step ahead of me as we walked down the crowded driveway to her kitchen door. “Worried you won’t do your part, therefore ruining my plan? Yes.”
“Your faith in me is comforting.” I switched my grip on the bags as they started to slip. The temperature was a balmy seventy-seven today, not bad for the end of May, and the ice had already started melting on the drive back. “Any advice for improving my performance?” Gavin walked out of the kitchen, carrying a tray of cupcakes to the backyard, but I wasn’t worried about him hearing since he was all too aware of Juniper’s ballet-dancing goal for the deception.
He just didn’t know about the familial relations.
“Girls like it when you get them drinks or ask if they’re hungry,” she lectured, her hair whipping in the breeze. The wind had kicked up today, just ahead of the storm we were expecting for tomorrow. “At least Mom liked when Dad did things like that.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” I shifted my grip on the slipping bags.
“And you should touch her. Couples are always touching each other on the back or holding hands.” She turned, her pointer finger raised. “But only if she says it’s okay.”
“Duly noted.” I motioned toward the house. “Grab the door, would you please?”
“Happy to help.” She held open the kitchen door, and I walked into mayhem.
“Those are the tablecloths,” Caroline told our cousin. “The park tables are gross this time of year, and—yep, those are the clips. Thank you.” She turned to our uncle. “Would you see if Gavin has his station up and if it’s age appropriate?”