Page 28 of Run for Us

“Okay, let’s go on this date,” I relent, and Shore whoops and almost drops the painting. “How did you get that?”

“Tyde,” Kasen says. “He went to pack up your things and brought this back to the house. Then he told us we were all idiots for not at least taking you on a date and begging for your forgiveness. Mrs. Easton also told us she has been calling you every other day.”

I laugh. She has been checking in regularly. At first I thought it was weird because I never gave her my number, but then I remembered she did Kasen’s books and would have my number from my inquiry form.

“Yeah, she does,” I say as we leave the building.

When we step outside, Kasen’s car is parked right out the front. “I wanted a horse-drawn carriage, but apparently the city is too busy,” Shore says. “I don’t see the appeal. Give me the ocean any day.”

Kasen opens the passenger-side door for me, and I get in, while Shore and Rip get into the back. Rip has been awfully quiet, but I don’t want to force him to talk to me if he doesn’t feel comfortable.

Kasen pulls out into the busy city traffic, and I feel my phone buzzing in my handbag. I slip it out and see for the first time in forever my mom is calling me. I send her to voicemail.

We drive to the outskirts of the city until Kasen pulls into the parking lot for a small brick building. We exit the car, and Shore links his arm with mine as we follow Kasen, with Rip trailing behind us.

“Where are we going?” I ask, because this looks like the perfect location to murder someone and leave their body to rot.

“All in good time,” Shore says.

Kasen unlocks the door and leads us into the darkened room. Turning on the flashlight on his phone, he leads us up a set of stairs. When we reach the top, there is a door. He pushes on it and holds it open.

My mouth falls open when I see they have set up a rooftop picnic overlooking the entire city. There are fairy lights strung up around old wooden beams that once might have been a shelter, but it no longer has a ceiling.

“This is beautiful.”

Shore leads me to the picnic blanket, and we sit, with Kasen and Rip joining us. Kasen opens the basket and pulls out a bottle of wine, sandwiches, fresh fruit, meats, and cheeses. There is also a Tupperware container that looks to have some kind of pasta salad in it.

“I owe you all an explanation. I freaked out and left, and I know I should have let you explain and not let you think it was because you were the masked men. Honestly, I was a little relieved it was you.”

Kasen hands me a plastic glass full of wine. I take a big sip and a deep breath. “When I was eighteen, I was in love with my boyfriend Teddy. We decided to run away to college, away from this life. We had it all planned. The day we left, he was driving, and I was singing. I remember he looked over at me and smiled,then he drove through a red light. We hit a small truck, and he seemed fine, but when we got to the hospital, he didn’t make it.”

Rip’s reaction surprises me. He wraps an arm around me and pulls me into his side, placing a gentle kiss on the top of my head. “You know it wasn’t your fault, right?”

I shrug. “If I wasn’t trying to run from my life, it would never have happened. Just like Shore wouldn’t have been hurt if I wasn’t in Bluebell.”

“Kinsley, no. Please don’t say that. I would have jumped down those stairs willingly just to have met you. I get hurt all the time. Last year I broke my nose when I crashed my Jet Ski into the dock. And I once chopped the tip of my thumb off because I told Rip I could cut a cucumber with my eyes closed. I also broke my collarbone by jumping from my dad’s boat to my brother’s. I do stupid things all the time and get hurt. That night was not your fault. I overreacted seeing that death creature.”

“So you don’t blame me?”

“Of course we don’t. We blame Shore,” Kasen says, and I feel Rip’s chuckle vibrate in his chest.

“We want you to come back,” Shore says. “You belong in Bluebell. My mom misses you, and even Tyde is on my ass about running you off.”

I smile, but sigh. “It’s not that easy.”

“Why?” he presses. “You have a rental you have paid for, and I know Mom has been dropping hints about your paintings and selling them. It’s your life, Kinsley. You should live your dreams and not let anyone stop you. Plus, living close to us is a bonus.”

“Stop laying it on so thick,” Kasen says with a laugh. “I agree with him, though. Do whateveryouwant. But whether you stay or come back, you are stuck with us now.”

“We don’t let our friends run away, Kinsley,” Rip whispers in my ear. “You need to love yourself first.”

My heart thunders wildly in my chest. Rip is right—I need to love myself first, or even learn to put myself first. I have spent the last twelve years prioritizing everyone else’s needs before my own, so much so that I lost myself.

Chapter Fifteen

Kinsley

One year later

---