Page 40 of Stealing Sunshine

“No, I’m not. Whether you admit it to me or not, I’m not blind like everyone else is. You’re into Daisy Mitchell, and that’sokay. You know that, don’t you?”

“Stop it, Poppy.”

She doesn’t know the whole story, and I don’t plan on explaining it to her anytime soon.

“Why? Because you’ll have to finally admit it if I push you far enough?” she asks, voice lifting in volume.

I spin to face her, forcing her hand to fall from my back. My skin flushes with an angry heat as I swallow my frustration. “She’s my fake girlfriend. That’s it.”

“Fine.” She raises her hands and shakes her head, brows high. “Daisy is your fake girlfriend. Now what? We just lie to everyone now? For how long?”

“You don’t have to lie. Just don’t say anything. Pretend you don’t know the truth and behave like everyone else. As far as how long this will take, that’s up to my mother.” And Daisy.

The moment she decides we’re done, we’re done. I’ll respect her wishes without hesitation. This is for me more than it is for her. Fuck, I’ve already told her she doesn’t owe me anything for letting her stay at my place.

Poppy rubs at her temples. “This is a terrible idea.”

“I know.”

“So call it off!”

The words are sticky in my throat. “I can’t.”

I don’t want to.

Her eyes dig deep into mine, searching for everything I’m refusing to say. But I hide my secrets so well even she can’t find them.

With a heavy sigh, she palms her hip and drops her stare. “I love you, Ice. Even when you do stupid shit.”

“I know.”

“The least you can do is say it back.”

I roll my eyes. “I love you, you needy bitch.”

“That’s better.” She flashes me a smile and pets my head. “But really, I hope you know what you’re doing here. This isn’t just some random girl. She’s Johnny’s twin and a member of our little family.”

“You don’t have to remind me of that.”

“Yes, I do.”

“It’ll be fine. I’ve got it handled.”

Her expression tells me she doesn’t believe me for shit, and in all honesty, I don’t believe myself either. I feel completely out of control already, and we haven’t even really started.

“I’m here for you always. Don’t forget that,” she says.

“I won’t,” I swear. “Now, tell me what you’re doing here during the week. BB okay?”

She shrugs. “BB is great. I just missed teaching class here. Calgary is so busy that I feel like I don’t have as much one-on-one time like I used to in Cherry Peak.”

“Can you shrink the class sizes in Calgary?”

“Not until this one finishes. I will be for the next few. But until then, here I am. Are you busy, or can you join?”

“Right now?”

She looks around the empty room as if to show me how unbusy I am. “Yes, right now. There’s a class at one, and I thought you might join me.”

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