Page 55 of Hearts Adrift
“I’m so, so sorry, I panicked,” she whimpers, wincing. “Heather showed up out of the blue. I had to rush my ass downstairs. Then Dad came home, and I was trying to keep thembothaway from upstairs, but you know when the two of them get together, they—”
“—work each other up, yeah,” I finish for her. “So they didn’t see River …?”
“Of course not! But I had to cover up what I wasreallydoing, and the very first thing I thought of was the kissing booth. You know how genius strikes me under pressure—”
“Genius?? You could’ve just said Chase instead of—!”
“It’s too late! They’reobsessedwith the idea.”
“NowI’mheadlining your mononucleosis booth—”
“I said I’m sorry!”
“—and everything else is messed up.” I let out a heavy sigh. “I hope it didn’t spook River too much.”
“Well … actually …”
I turn to her. “What?”
She peers over the back of the couch, as if sensing Dad or Heather returning, then lowers her voice. “I don’t know when it happened, but … he snuck out.”
“He snuck out??”
“Returned to the bungalow. I guess he figured it’s safe again. He left a message on our guest line. It was in code. He requested takeout from Easy Squeezy. He meant Easy Breezy, obviously, but they don’t do takeout, so I figured he meant he … wanted to see you.” She comes even closer and lowers her voice to a near whisper. “Just between us. Please tell me the truth. I’ve been watching you guys over this past week. Tell me … is there something serious going on between you guys? Like, a real, actual thing-thing?”
Dear sister, please allow me to introduce you to the question of the day.
But before I can answer, Heather returns, and while we wait patiently on Dad, my sisters start exchanging opinions of the movie so far while I sulk on the couch drowning in my troubled thoughts.
On the TV screen ahead of me is a frozen screenshot of River’s face looking just as uneasy as I feel, bangs wet and dangling, eyes full of tension, and lips parted and plush.
I wonder if I can even honor Brooke’s lie of agreeing to be her Prince of Dreamwood Isle. If I can even stomach kissing anyone else. If my one condition for headlining the booth is if it’s only River Wolfe waiting in that line, only River that I kiss, ten times, a hundred, again and again, and no one else at all.
Chapter 15 - River
I take my coffee to the back porch, early morning.
In plain view of the Hopewell house by the water.
I flick the back porch light on, illuminating me.
I’m doing this on purpose. I imagine Finn’s taking his coffee at that kitchen window in his house like he always does, the one with a perfect view of this very porch. The light is on right now. It is more than possible he’s standing right there, watching me as I watch him. I want to imagine him wondering about the message I sent, debating if he should take the bait and visit me.
I really hope he takes the bait. I need to see that man again—before my reckless self does something else stupid.
It was so much fun, staying with him and Brooke in his house. Waking up with him, even if in separate rooms, and meeting in the kitchen like a secret rendezvous. I got to see his sleepy eyes. His happy eyes. His “give me a sec until I’ve had my first sip of caffeine” eyes.
Then the kitchen light goes off.
Stillness. Roaring waves. The cool sea air over my face in the semidarkness of an impending sunrise.
Perhaps it was his dad. Or a sister.
Not Finn.
It pains me so much to have left that behind. But I just couldn’t stomach what my being there was doing to them. The way Brooke panicked and redirected her dad and sister to her kissing booth thing, causing a whole other drama—all because Iwas afraid of mystery eyes on the bungalow tracking me like a gaggle of deadly stalkers.
I’ve put my burdens on top of them.
