Page 70 of Shifting Gears

Dani is only one voice among the many, though, most of which sit on Ryan’s side of the argument, and Nora sinks lower in her chair even as the party picks back up. Ryan and Mila get into a competition over who can sing along to Owen’s music the loudest, and soon a karaoke machine is dragged out from Dani’s living room.

Nora wishes she could disappear.

In the growing chaos, Dani grabs Nora’s hand and tugs it, tipping her head in the direction of the woods at the edge of the property, and they quietly slip away from the hubbub of the fire and into the night.

“Things were starting to get a little loud,” Dani says once the heat of the bonfire and the noise of the partiers gets less pronounced. “Sorry about that. Ryan especially. He can get a bit heated.”

Nora’s face feels suddenly cold with the loss of the flames. She sidles closer to Dani, squeezing her hand tighter as they walk.

“It’s nice to get a break from the noise,” Nora says a little absently.

Ryan’s contempt is sticking with her—she’d known from her first few weeks here that dislike for her company runs deep, but in spending so much time with these people this summer, she’d been able to conveniently forget it. Maybe she’d convinced herself that now that they know her, it wouldn’t be such a big deal. But now her knowledge is cemented: Ryan wouldn’t forgive her if he knew her connection to CromTech. She wonders if anyone else would hate her, too—Sarah, Mila, Owen and Naomi.

Dani.

“You okay?” Dani says quietly.

Nora bites the inside of her cheek. “I don’t feel great. Too much to drink, I think.”

In reality, Nora feels pretty sober, but her thoughts are out of control.

How could she not have known that CromTech left hazardous materials behind when they pulled out of Bracken County? Had her father hidden it, or was it just deemed not important enough to include in any reports? And if Nora had found the information, would she even have done anything about it if it didn’t interfere with her development plans? Would the guilt she’s feeling now have manifested before she knew these people enough to care?

Is Nora no better than her father was? Isn’t sheworse?

Dani squeezes her hand. Her voice gets soft and careful. “Of course. Do you want to go lie down? I can tell everyone to clear out so you can sleep.”

“No, don’t be silly. But Dani,” Nora says, tripping over the truth that wants to spill yet again. Keeping her identity from Dani all these months used to feel like a necessity, but it feels now like a massive breach of trust. The guilt of it sits heavy in her stomach most nights, and tonight it’s worse than ever. “What Ryan said, about CromTech. He’s right. And I think—”

Dani halts suddenly, pulling Nora’s arm taut and stopping her in her tracks. Her head tilts. “Did you hear that?”

“What? I don’t hear anything,” Nora says. The interruption has taken the wind out of her sails somewhat. “Probably a rabbit or something.”

Dani frowns. “Listen.”

With a deep sigh, Nora does. She tries to listen over her racing thoughts, over the anxious beating of her own heart, and it turns out that there is something beyond the sound of crickets or the party in the distance. It sounds, actually, like the rustling of clothing. Breathy sighs. After a few moments of listening, a quiet moan punctuates it, followed by a hushed voice.

“Shh, someone could hear…”

“Everyone’s at the party, Sarah,” comes another voice, louder but clearly distracted. “Nobody’s listening.”

“Sarah?!” Dani says loudly, stepping away from Nora. But she doesn’t sound alarmed or horrified. She sounds delighted.

Sarah, on the other hand, does not.

“Fuck!” Nora can hear Sarah muttering, along with the frantic rustle of clothes being done up. “Dani! What are you doing out here?”

“Oh my gosh, youhorn-dog!” Dani says, louder than ever and now making her way toward the source of the voices. “I knew you were lying when you said you stayed at Mila’s place the other night. Who are you with?”

The second voice laughs, clearly much calmer about the whole situation than Sarah is. “That’s what you told her?”

“I panicked!” Sarah hisses, and now Nora can see the two figures Dani is striding toward—Sarah is finishing with the buttons on her shirt. Next to her, leaning against a tree and fully clothed but pleasantly ruffled, is Naomi.

“We were having a perfectly nice time before you crashed our party,” Naomi says, her kind smile offsetting the sarcasm in her voice.

Dani laughs, crossing her arms and looking pointedly at her cousin. “These are my woods, too, you know. When were you planning on telling me you’re finally seeing each other?”

Sarah, who seems to be doing everything she can to hide behind Naomi, sighs and leans her forehead onto Naomi’s shoulder. “I was going to tell you, I swear. I just…”

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