Page 160 of 1001 Dark Nights: Bundle Forty-Seven

“So you’re ready to go?” She’s still digging around in her purse.

“Yes, mom. I’m ready to go. Are you making a stop in Narnia first, or channeling your inner Mary Poppins?”

“Huh?” She stops her purse rummaging to look at me.

I prop a fist on my hip and arch a brow. “You’re basically trying to climb into your purse. What’s going on? What are you looking for?”

She blinks at me for several long seconds. “I’m just making sure I have everything I need.”

I drop it. For now. This is what she does when we travel; compulsively checks her purse for her driver’s license, even though she always keeps it in her wallet. It doesn’t matter if it was there two minutes ago, she’ll still check again, like an inanimate card is going to sprout a pair of legs and walk off.

We hop into the car and drive over to Sidney’s. Mom is antsy as hell. Neither of us is awesome at keeping secrets or hiding things from each other, so I’m about ten thousand percent sure one of two things is going to happen today. She asks me the same three questions twice. I don’t call her on it.

Sidney is already on the front porch when we arrive. Another sure sign something is going down.

“Hi, Violet. Miller’s out back by the pool if you want to join him. I’ll help your mom bring everything in.” Sidney pats me on the shoulder.

“Sure. Sounds good.” A couple of minutes alone with Buck is exactly what I need. He’s been messaging relentlessly since the weekend, making sure we’re still cool. I have a feeling he remembers bits and pieces of our conversation before he tossed his cookies.

If I’m right about what I think is coming today, it will serve me well to have something to hold over Buck in the future. Just in case he gets it in his head to throw another party with his hockey buddies when our parents inevitably go away again.

I find Buck skimming leaves out of the pool. It seems to be one of his favorite pastimes.

“Vi! Hey. Hi.” His eyes go wide and his gaze shifts behind me. “Where are the ‘rents?”

“Inside, doing whatever.”

He puts the net back and rushes over. “I’m so sorry about Saturday night. Thanks for not letting me die. And whatever I said, I didn’t mean it. Unless it was an apology. I meant those.”

“Do you mean the part about me being forbidden fruit?” I arch a brow.

His eyes widen further. “Oh God. I said that. I hoped it was all in my head. I didn’t mean it the way it came out. However, it came out.”

“I’m sure you didn’t.” Is it awful that I’m allowing him to believe he made an actual pass at me? Probably. But if our parents end up getting married, I’ll be his younger stepsister. His douchebag friends might decide to torment me because I’m a certified nerd and I’m horrifyingly clumsy. But if I have something to hold over his head, he’ll be compelled to defend me. Even though Buck makes some questionable choices, and he seems like he’s on the path to becoming a player, he’s a genuinely nice guy. He’ll feel bad about this for as long as I allow him to believe it’s true. Which may or may not be forever.

“You won’t tell my dad, will you?” He looks like he’s about to pee his swim trunks.

“It’s never going to happen again, is it?”

He shakes his head vehemently. “No. God no. I was wasted and talking out of my ass. I don’t look at you like that. I’m kinda hoping you’re going to be my sister. Stepsister. But still. We’ll berelated one day. Maybe.” He stares at me for a few long seconds. I’m not sure what he’s waiting for. “I have like five hundred dollars in cash in my room. You can have it.”

I tip my head. “Like hush money?”

“Yes. No. You made sure I didn’t die, even after I said whatever I said. And you’re not gonna tell my dad. You should have seen him on Sunday. He was so mad at me. So damn mad. And I was scared your mom was going to break up with him. I haven’t had a mom since before I really remember what having a mom is like. And Skye is such a cool lady. And fun. And I get that I’m like, almost eighteen and stuff, but I don’t want to do anything that might mess up the chance that she might become my stepmom. God, I hope I’m not jinxing this whole thing.”

My heart squeezes and my empathy buttons start firing. Not enough for me to tell him the full story of Saturday night, but enough to assuage his fears. “I get what you mean. My grandparents have been like a second set of parents all my life, but I’ve never had a dad. I don’t even actually know who my real dad is. But it’s been nice seeing my mom so happy, and it’d be cool to have an older brother, even if the only thing we really have in common is that we’re both teenagers.”

He blinks twice, like he’s trying to decode the underlying message.

“I don’t need hush money. Just don’t let your hockey buddies bully me, and we’re good. And I might need the occasional drive somewhere, and if you play professional hockey and you’re making the big bucks, I’m not against you picking up the tab for my milkshake and fries obsession when you’re in town.”

“Deal.”

We shake on it. His palms are sweaty so we both wipe them on our shorts after.

Our parents come out. Sidney is carrying a tray of appetizers and mom is clasping her hands together, wearing a really weird smile.

“Snack time!” Mom’s voice is all high and pitchy.

---