Page 26 of Rosie and the Beast Next Door

“Is her family here too?”

“One of her brothers. Bennett.” She looked at me expectantly.

“Okay …”

“Lily’s ex. They dated two years. They were talking marriage.” She circled her hand like,come on, we’re almost there.

“Oh.” I didn’t know Lily’d dated someone for that long, much less his name or that they’d broken up. I didn’t expect the pinch of hurt I felt at learning something so significant about my sister secondhand. We weren’t close; hadn’t been for years. Lily had made it clear she resented me growing up—all the time, money,and energy my parents had put into hockey had been stolen directly from her. It hadn’t made things any better when I’d insisted it had nothing to do with her and wasn’t personal. It had felt personal to her regardless of intentions.

No one had cheered louder when I left Winterhaven than Lily.

“Yeah, it’s been pretty awkward around my house since then. Especially since Lily and Rosie can’t stand each other, which is heartbreaking. I love them both so much.”

Somehow, it didn’t surprise me to hear that Rosie and Lily clashed. Growing up, Lily was always very strait-laced to a self-righteous fault. She loved enforcing rules and tattling whenever I inevitably broke one of those rules. Getting me into trouble had been her favorite past time.

In just the few times I’d talked to Rosie, she’d struck me as someone who looked at rules as loose guidelines she may or may not agree with and may or may not follow. Which was intriguing, but I didn’t want to be intrigued by my landlord.

Charlie wasn’t reading my mind like a good cousin should, and she continued. “Rosie’s had a hard life, so you wouldn’t expect her to be so happy. But she’s the most loyal person I’ve ever met and she makes life fun. And if a mouse flies past your face at the wrong moment, well, being friends with her is worth all the unpredictable things that happen in her presence. Trust me.”

Affection for Charlie nudged at my impenetrable emotional shell. When I looked at her, I’d always see the overwhelmingly sad nine-year-old girl who followed me everywhere. But she’d also grown into a beautiful and kind woman who’d transformed her pain and grief into empathy. Even toward a loser like me. “You’re one of the few people I do trust, Charlie. But I don’t plan on making friends here. I just want to keep my head down and pass the time until Coach lets me back on the team.” I rapped my knuckles on the table to drive my point home.

Charlie frowned. “How are things? Since … Shiloh?”

Hearing Shiloh’s name yanked me from the bit of nostalgic sunshine I’d been basking in, and back into the cold reality of life. “Fine.”

“I saw the memes.”

“Everyone did.”

“It doesn’t seem like you,” Charlie gently pushed. “To act like that.”

“It’s exactly like me.” She’d only ever seen the best in me. That was how Charlie was—seeing the best in everyone, when people really just messed up and disappointed you in the end. Or died.

I stood abruptly. “I’d better get showered.”

“Yeah, sure, of course.” The glowing vibe had dispelled, thanks to me. A fresh cube of ice in already tepid soup. “You should come play softball with us. We have practice Sunday afternoon.”

Even if it wasn’t against my contract, the last thing I wanted was to join some small-town softball league. “No thanks.”

I must have missed the mark on casual and hit condescending by the way her face fell.

She stood slowly and moved to throw away her trash, but I stopped her, feeling like a jerk. The itchiness inside me was expanding, and I needed to do something to let it out. I’d have to do more pull-ups, with the window closed this time. At this rate, I wouldn’t be able to lift my arms tomorrow.

“I’ve got it.” I filled the to-go bag with our trash and left it in the middle of the table. She gave me a hug that I made awkward by not wrapping my arms tightly around her. Every signal blasted that I was ready for her to leave, and she respected that with a quick departure.

“Love you, Dyls. I’m glad you’re home,” she said sweetly enough to make me feel frozen.

Pull-ups weren’t enough. Push-ups. Sit-ups. Lunges. None of it. I needed to run.

Better yet, I needed to play hockey.

That would solve everything. I’d get back on the team. Away from Winterhaven. Away from a lifetime of memories with Shiloh. Away from the watching eyes and the people who didn’t want me here.

Energy zinged through me, pulsed against my skin, ached to be outside of me instead of inside of me.

I went into my room, sat on the floor with my back against the wall, and pulled out my phone, ready to sell my soul if necessary, to get back on the team.

Chapter 12

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