Page 49 of The Facade

I shook those thoughts away. Just because “practice makes perfect” was a saying I’d heard on repeat during my days at the ballet academy, it didn’t mean I needed to apply it here as well.

Because asking Mack to give me a second kissing lesson would be weird, right?

“Anyway.” He clasped his hands together. “We better get back to everyone. They’re probably worried Mr. Richardson’s ghost found us out here.”

“Yes,” I said. “That’s probably a good idea.”

I just hoped when we walked up to everyone that it wouldn’t be obvious what had just happened. Because if my brothers had any idea that I’d just made out with Mack, they’d never let us out of their sight again.

14

Mack

What just happened?I wondered as Cambrielle and I walked back to Carter’s truck.

Had I seriously just made out with Cambrielle?

Did that really just happen?

When she asked me to help her practice kissing so she could have her re-do with Ben, I’d thought she was joking at first. And then when I found out she was serious, I’d decided that even though it might be completely awkward, I did owe her. She’d helped me with my stuff a lot this school year, so it was only fair that I help her out in her time of need.

Kissing my best friends’ little sister wasn’t exactly something I’d ever thought I’d end up doing, but it seemed harmless enough since it wasn’t like we were going to make it into a weird thing because we didn’t actually have feelings for each other.

But now that we’d done it, I wasn’t so sure. Because even though it had started out as a purely platonic exchange, somewhere in the middle I’d forgotten the goal and had lost myself in the kiss.

Had she noticed?

Could she tell that I’d let go of reality for a few minutes there, that I’d forgotten that the girl I was holding and kissing and getting lost in the moment with wasn’t someone I should have ever touched in the first place?

Cambrielle turned to me before we reached Carter’s truck. “So um, I’m sure it goes without saying, but we’re just going to keep that back there our little secret, right?”

“Of course.” I cleared my throat that was suddenly froggy. “It’ll just be another one of our secrets.”

“Good.” She sighed, as if she’d been worried I would actually tell everyone that we’d just been making out.

I quickly looked her over to make sure her hair hadn’t gotten too messy from when I’d ran my fingers through it.

“Here, let me just…” I reached over to tuck some disheveled hair behind her ear, trying not to notice the way my fingers tingled as they grazed against her skin. “There, that’s better.”

Her eyes widened. “Is it obvious that we were kissing?”

“No. I don’t think so.” I narrowed my eyes to look her over again, and thoughIfelt different standing beside her than I had an hour ago, she didn’t look much different. “You look fine.”

Even as I said it, as I met her gaze, my mind instantly told me that she didn’t lookjust fine. It told me the more correct description would be to say that she looked beautiful—stunning, really.

But I’d just have to keep that little observation to myself.

“Where did you guys disappear to?” Nash asked when we reached the group. He was leaning against his lime-green BMW convertible, with his legs crossed at the ankles.

“Um, I just got really scared and needed to get away,” Cambrielle said. “Thought I saw Mr. and Mrs. Richardson’s ghosts, and Mack had to convince me that it was safe to come back.”

“It was pretty creepy in there,” Nash said, thankfully seeming to buy Cambrielle’s story. “That room full of clowns and mirrors was the worst.”

“It really was,” Cambrielle said. She looked around at everyone else. “Anyway, sorry for the hold up. I guess we can leave now.”

Hunter and Scarlett climbed into Nash’s car with him, and I was about to get into the back of Carter’s truck with Cambrielle and Elyse when I noticed Carter eyeing me suspiciously.

“How about you ride with Nash this time,” Carter said. “That way, you’re not so squished back there.”

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