Page 136 of Ruin
When I turn, she’s giving me a knowing look. She’s dressed in navy pants and a white blouse, looking as good as ever. She always had this air about her, and it told you she came from money, but she never came across as arrogant or snobbish. I was never overly fond of her either, though. She was stiff and unemotional at times.
The thought makes me laugh, because… well, so am I.
“Can we talk?” she asks.
“Uh, yeah,” I say with a nod. “Sure.”
“Where should we go?”
“Oh…” I step forward. “Living room.”
She follows me in there, and I sit, then stand, unable to decide what I want to do or where I’ll be more comfortable. She takes a seat in the recliner, and so I sit back on the couch.
Beth watches me carefully, sort of the way a mother would watch her child try to figure out a puzzle.
“Is he—” I start but then snap my mouth shut.
A soft smile crosses his lips. “He’s okay,” she answers. “Kolton, I’m not here with bad news.”
“Okay,” I say carefully.
She sighs softly. “How have you been?”
I frown. “Fine.”
“Truly?” she asks, raising a brow.
“I… guess.”
She nods. “So you’re nothing like Lucian then.”
“What does that mean?”
“He’s moping around like a lost puppy,” she says with a smile.
I shift on the seat, resting my elbows on my thighs and clasping my hands together.
I’m so confused.
“Beth, why are you here?”
She simply says, “Kolton, I’ve known about you and Lucian for a very long time.”
I narrow my eyes, but my face starts to heat, and I focus on breathing so I don’t freak out.
“He told me a few months after Lucas had his accident, but if I’m being honest, I knew before that.”
“You knew about us… before?”
My hands get sweaty now, and I wipe them on my jeans.
She nods. “I did, yes. Of course, I never said anything to him, and when he told me, I acted as if I didn’t know.”
“How did you find out?”
She shrugs. “When you’re with someone for so long, you get to know them. Lucian and I had a way of life; we did things a certain way. It was very routine, very normal. Then one day… things were different. He was happy, more upbeat, wanted to do more things. I saw a change in him, and it took some time to figure out what it was.”
“When did you figure it out?”
