Page 32 of Tangled Up In You

Drew shrugged. "There will be other hikes."

"You're right. You'll have plenty of opportunities to get into the mountains, but I did go out of my way to get you a spot."

"I didn't ask you to do that. It was your idea."

"True. So, let's make a deal. Aside from getting a job, which is non-negotiable, I'll offer suggestions of things you might enjoy. If you don't want to do something, just say no. If you say yes, make it happen. Can we agree to that?"

"Fine," Drew said shortly. "Are we done?"

"Not yet. What about the job? Can I help connect you with anyone?"

"I already got one."

He was surprised to hear that. "Where?"

"Some store."

"What store?"

"It's called A Better You."

His stomach clenched at that unexpected piece of news. "You're working for Molly Trent? When did this happen?"

"I started yesterday."

"You started yesterday?" he echoed. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Drew shrugged and then swigged down his glass of orange juice.

"I didn't think Molly was hiring anyone yet," he muttered, wondering why Molly hadn't told him she'd hired Drew. Maybe she didn’t know Drew was connected to him. "Why would you want to work there?"

"It's good enough. You told me to get a job. I got one. End of story."

"Wait," he said as Drew pushed back his chair. "Let's talk."

"About what?"

"Whatever you want—school, your dad, friends…"

"I'm not in school. My dad sucks. And my friends are not here." Drew paused. "I only came to Whisper Lake because I didn’t want to stay at my dad's house. But you can't fix me, and you can't fix your guilt. You should stop trying." With that, Drew left the table.

He let out a breath, Drew's words resonating deep within him. There was truth in what he'd said, especially the part about getting rid of his guilt. He knew nothing could change the past, but it wasn't about his guilt; it was about helping Gina's brother, because she wasn't here to do it herself.

Gina had adored Drew. She'd been like a second mother to him. She'd skipped parties and ski weekends to watch Drew in a school play or to cheer him on when he came up to bat at a Little League game. They'd been tremendously close, and when she'd died, Drew had lost his biggest fan besides his parents. That loss had intensified when Drew's mother's illness got worse, and his father, Steven, had had to be there for his wife, leaving Drew on his own. It was a guilt that Steven carried now, a guilt he shared, even if it was in a different way.

Adam had wanted to stay close to the family, to Gina's parents, to her brother, but Steven and Teresa Kilborn had not wanted him around for a very long time. He couldn't blame them. He was the reason their daughter was dead.

He could hear Gina's voice in his head, telling him that wasn't true. But he knew it was.

Getting up from the table, he grabbed the empty plates and took them to the sink. Then he cleared the rest of the table, filled the dishwasher, and wiped down the counters.

He'd become much more of a cleaner after Gina died, needing everything in his life to be neat, to be organized, to be right.

But as he finished, Drew's words rang through his head:he couldn't fix his guilt and he should stop trying.

He didn't know how to stop. Having Drew around had brought everything back to the forefront of his mind. The kid was right about another thing. He had made a big mistake in inviting Drew to spend the next two months with him. He had spent years trying to put the worst night of his life behind him, and now it was back.

Molly spent Sunday morning getting the apartment organized. She wasn't sure what she could do about the persistent burglar or the hot police detective she couldn't stop thinking about, but she could get her living situation straightened out.

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