Page 44 of Someday You Learn

Heat rises to my cheeks and I drop my gaze to the floor.Yeah, I’m not going there. “I don’t want him to dislike me any more than he already does.”

“He doesn’t. But getting under his skin is going to make him snap. And once he does, he might finally admit to himself that he wouldn’t have agreed to this if deep down, he didn’t care. Plus, you’ll benefit from his frustration.” She bounces her eyebrows again.

“I don’t know…”

Hazel throws her hands up in defeat. “Look, do what you want, but I’m telling you, I know my brother.” She leans forward again. “And I just want to see him happy.”

“Want to see who happy?”

All three of us whip around to see Parker standing in the doorway, his hand on the knob and an unreadable expression on his face.

“You, big brother!” Hazel exclaims, jumping up from her seat a little too enthusiastically. “I can’t believe you’ve been hiding this girl from us for the past year. You two are obviously so in love and I’m happy for you!”

Parker looks at his sister as if she’s grown two heads. “Well…”

Willow stands up now, arching her back so she doesn’t topple over. “And her business idea is genius, Parker.” She winks at him. “Looks like your future wife is beautifulandintelligent.”

Our eyes meet and I feel my cheeks heat again.

Parker clears his throat as he adjusts his glasses. “Uh, yeah. I told her the idea was good.”

“It is. I’m already convinced and told Cashlynn that I’d contact Pam at Cove Realty tomorrow so she can start looking at spaces.”

He nods, though his shoulders remain tense, like he’s still unsure about the conversation he walked in on.

“I appreciate that, Willow,” he says, moving around the couch to me, wrapping his arm around my waist like it’s the most natural thing in the world. The warmth of his touch sends a shiver down my spine. “Are you guys done talking?” he asks me.

“Um, yeah.”

“Good. I was thinking we could get out of here. I want to show you something.”

I catch Hazel and Willow exchanging knowing glances, but I quickly turn my attention back to Parker. “Okay.”

Parker turns to his sister. “Tell everyone we had to leave, okay?”

“Sure,” she replies, rocking back and forth on her feet. “Have fun, you two. Use protection! No need for babies yet. Or rabies, right, Parker?”

Parker shakes his head as he leads me to the front door with his hand on the small of my back. Once we’re outside, he asks, “They didn’t scar you for life, did they?”

“How would they do that?”

He keeps his hand on my back as we walk to his car.

“By asking inappropriate questions…telling you more stories about me.” He opens the car door for me, waiting as I settle inside before shutting it and moving to his side.

“What kind of stories would they tell?” I ask as he starts the car.

He gives me a pointed look from the driver’s seat as he starts the engine. “Nice try,” he says, turning onto the road.

I laugh. “They were very welcoming, actually. Your entire family was.”

“Yeah, they’re not too bad,” he says as if it pains him to admit it.

“You’re lucky, Parker. You have so many people who love you, who accept you and genuinely want you to be happy.”

He eyes me for a few moments, his expression unreadable, before focusing back on the road. He doesn’t say anything else as we drive into town. I’ve only been here once, but as we close in on the cove that gives this town its name, my heart beats faster as I take in the view.

The streetlights cast soft reflections on the water, golden sparks dotting the surface of the ocean. A few people are strolling along the boardwalk, their coats pulled tight against the chill in the air.

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