Page 28 of All Too Well
“We wanted to set the bar low.”
“Good call,” Ainsley says with a smile. “I’m glad I got to see this. I need to go back to my luxurious accommodations. I’ll stop by tomorrow to see Rose and your place.” She starts to walk away, and my chest tightens at the idea of her leaving.
“Ainsley, you shouldn’t stay in that shack.”
She stops and looks at me from over her shoulder. “Where would you recommend I stay then?”
“I don’t know, but that place isn’t safe.”
Ainsley smiles softly. “I’m a big girl, Lach. I can take care of myself.”
Yeah, but wouldn’t it be nice if someone else took care of her for once. Someone like me.
six
Ainsley
My phone rings and I moan as I reach for it.
“Hello?” I ask groggily and half-asleep.
“Good morning, sunshine.” My brother’s annoying voice echoes through the phone.
“What time is it?”
“It’s four a.m., time for you to get your little writer brain up and going.”
I groan. “I hate you.”
Normally I would just hang up on him, but Caspian, no doubt, knows I’m here and will keep calling back or send Lachlan here, because he’ll make up some bullshit reason that I need help. My brother is fantastic like that.
I roll over, not too far or I’ll fall off the tiny bed—again—and push myself up to a sitting position. “What do you want, Caspian?”
“For starters, I’d like to know what the hell you’re doing in Ember Falls.”
I sigh and lean against the cabin wall. “I’m working, which I’m sure you know.”
“I do, but . . .”
“But what?”
My brother huffs. “Why?”
“Because it’s my job. Why do you go into work every day? Because they pay you. Same rules apply with my job.”
I know I’m a little testy, but, seriously, it’s way too early for this.
“So you and Lachlan are talking again?”
I let that sink in a little, because in all these years, Caspian hasn’t talked about it with me. He asked once what the deal was, but then dropped it. I have no idea whether he talks to Lachlan about it, but I had zero desire to bring it up to my brother.
In fact, I still don’t want to talk about it with him.
Lachlan is his best friend. The only person that always had his back when we were kids. Being a military brat isn’t easy. I had friends, and then they left. It was the way it was, but Lachlan never left. From the day he moved next door until the day our dads retired, they were together.
“Yes, we’re talking. I plan to go over later to see Rose and do some of my interview.”
“Good. She’s gotten so big. I’m planning to come up in the next few weeks. Do you think you’ll still be in town?”
