Page 41 of Under an Endless Moon

“Well, if it isn’t my recently estranged bestie.” I went ahead and dug it in deep.

From the other end of the line, Charleigh groaned in mortification. “Oh my God, I am so sorry, Raven. I can’t believe we let that happen. I’m so embarrassed.”

“You should be,” I teased.

“You can be sure I am sufficiently humiliated.”

“Honestly, it wasn’t that big of a deal. I just was…caught off guard.”

There. I’d be pragmatic. Let her off the hook.

“Caught off guard? You screamed so loud the neighbors came over to check if everything was okay.”

A disbelieving giggle erupted from my throat. “They did not.”

“Oh, they did. I had to let them come into the house to make sure nothing was awry before they’d go away. I told them I’d seen a spider.”

“Oh my God.” Once I started laughing, Charleigh started laughing, too, and in a second, we were both cracking up, me bent over while she giggled like crazy.

I was wiping moisture from under my eyes, unsure if they were tears of amusement or if they were actually bleeding. “I know my bestie is a sexy bitch, but I didn’t need to see that much of her.”

She choked over a snicker before she sobered and whispered, “I really am sorry.”

“It’s fine. But you should know I’m never going to be able to look at you or my brother again. You ruined everything.”

“River said you were going to text when you were finished at the shop, and Nolan was at the park with his friend Mitchell and his parents, so we thought we were alone. We got…carried away.”

I sighed. “It’s your house. You two should be able to get naked wherever you want.”

“But it’s your house, too.”

I hesitated before I admitted what I was sure was going to come with a ton of resistance. “And I think it’s time that it’s not.”

She paused, and when she spoke again, her voice dampened with hesitancy. “What do you mean?”

“I think it’s time I find my own place.”

“Raven—”

“I know what you’re going to say, Charleigh, and I know you love me and love living with me because, yeah, I’m pretty amazing and great, and like, what crazy person wouldn’t want to live with me? Best roommate ever, am I right?”

I threw as much humor into it as I could before I softened, “But you and River are past the point of needing a roommate. You’re a family now, and it’s time you have the space to be able to build your lives the way you want to.”

“You are our family.”

“I know…but not like that. You, River, and Nolan need to grow together, and you don’t need me standing in the middle of it all the time.”

“You’re never in the way,” she argued.

“I think you really just want easy access to my shoes,” I teased her.

I could feel her grin. “What masochist wouldn’t want easy access to your shoes? Have you seen your collection?”

“Obviously. I am the curator.”

“And a really great one.” With the way her tone went soft, I knew she was talking about more than just my taste in shoes. “I love living here with you,” she added, the words barely a wisp.

I rubbed the heel of my hand at my temple like it could massage away the sting. “I know. I love living with you, too. But it’s time that you have your privacy, and it’s also time that I learn how to live on my own. I’ve lived with River my entire life, and I haven’t had the space to have experiences on my own. The freedom to make mistakes undermy own roof. To make decisions without someone looking over my shoulder. I’m ready for that.”

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