Page 57 of Clean Out of Luck

That’s probably not a conversation I should get into right now.

I reach out and grab her arm and lead her through the living room, into the bedroom and inside the bathroom. I set the drain in the bathtub and turn on the warm water. I walk back into her bedroom and grab the book from the nightstand and bring it into the bathroom, setting it on the small shelf next to the tub.

“I’m going to leave and lock your doors. You need to climb into the bath and just relax. We’ll talk soon.”

I have to force myself not to say anything about the dazed look in her eyes. I reach out and squeeze her shoulder. “Sleep tight.”

I close the bathroom door after me and then check the back exit to make sure it’s locked before I head out the front door, locking it behind me.

I don’t know why, but I feel like if her doors are locked here, this is safe.

The Serendipity’s charm is growing on me. Maybe it’s because we had our first kiss in the basement; maybe it’s a hint of that magic Gloria mentioned to me. Whatever it is, I have a sense of security that it will keep Scarlett safe while she lives here.

When I get home, I make one of the most important phone calls of my life.

Phoenix picks up after two rings. “Hey, how’s it going, man?”

“I don’t know,” I say honestly. I pull open my pantry door and pull out the flour, sugar, and chocolate chips. Jack’sworking tonight, so I don’t have to worry about waking him up with the mixer.

“Then why did you call me?” He sounds confused.

“Because I needed to talk to my best friend who abandoned me,” I reply dryly.

“You make it sound so dire. I promise it’s not that bad. I’m coming back…someday.”

“You abandoned me. And you left me with your little sister,” I complain as I pull the butter out of the fridge.

My parents traveled a lot when I was growing up, which was what precipitated our move to Serendipity Springs—so we could stay with our grandparents while they were gone. They’d been talking about it for a while, and then the house burnt down, and it felt like it was a sign to move in with Grandma and Grandpa here in Serendipity Springs.

Ironically, after our house burnt down and the move to Serendipity Springs, my parents seemed happier than ever. They stopped fighting and seemed to enjoy spending time as a family.

They still traveled with their work for the cruise line but when my mom was home, we always baked together. She told me there’s not a problem in the world a batch of chocolate chip cookies can’t fix. We made cookies all the time when she was home. I’m inclined to believe her theory.

“What’s going on with my sister, Wade? You’re not letting her date jerks, are you?” Phoenix sounds angry at the thought.

I think back to the events of earlier tonight.

The lights flashing on the squad car. The handcuffs and Scarlett’s angry face.

Yeah, probably not a good time to tell Phoenix about the date.

I turn the mixer on, creaming the butter and sugars together.

“Wait, are you baking tonight?” Phoenix asks with a laugh. “This ought to be good. What happened?”

“I kissed your sister!” I yell over the mixer just as I shut it off.

Those four words float through the air, echoing off the walls of my house.

I wait for Phoenix to explode at me. To tell me that he was only joking that I should date her. That I need to stay away from her.

But all I hear is silence, except for the sound of me scraping the edges of the bowl and cracking two eggs.

“What did she do?” Phoenix finally asks. He sounds like he’s actually interested now.

“Well, it’s not like I surprised her with it,” I mutter. “She was the one who brought it up. She told me I owed her a goodnight kiss.”

“Well, did you?”

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