Page 127 of The Holiday Fakers
She presses her lips together, clearly unhappy, then nods. “Okay. Come see my room now.”
I follow her into a space that, thank god, is untidy, and she shows me all her favorite toys.
After about fifteen minutes, Ethan calls us down. We sit on cushions on the family room floor, eating pizza from large white plates. This is clearly a rare treat for Martha, who can’t contain her excitement.
When we’ve eaten, I help Ethan clear up, and he puts Martha to bed.
Downstairs, I shift on the L-shaped sectional, trying to avoid facing Olivia, as my stomach ties itself into a tighter and tighter knot. Not for the first time, I wish I had alcohol to take the edge off my tension.
But I can’t go there, so I sip my water and let my knee jiggle up and down as I wait for the sound of Ethan’s feet coming down the stairs.
“So, apparently you hate Hideaway,” he says, putting on the game but keeping the volume low so we can talk.
What the fuck?
My head snaps toward him, but he keeps his eyes on the screen.
“No, I do not hate Hideaway,” I reply sharply, “and I never have. Marisa’s hurt that I’ve moved on and is lashing out. And I never cheated on her. She was the unfaithful one.”
Ethan nods. “I … I always knew you were in love with Piper,” he admits quietly.
Huh?“How?”
The corner of his mouth lifts. “Because you weren’t that good an actor back then.”
I rub a hand over my jaw, stunned. “I thought I hid it from you.”
“I’m observant. And when you thought I wasn’t aware, you looked at her the way I looked at Olivia.”
Well, shit.
“Olivia argued with me about you that summer. She couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t let you near Piper.”
I will my hands to relax.
“Why didn’t you? Why wasn’t I good enough?”
Ethan’s head finally turns to me, his expression filled with bleak regret.
“It wasn’t you. It was never about you. I saw kids who didn’t graduate because they’d gotten pregnant or caught up in some stupid drama, and I didn’t want that for Piper.”
He sighs. “I know what I can be like. Rigid. In control. I didn’t understand myself enough back then. I just wanted Piper to be happy. And when you left, I believed it justified the decision I made, that I’d done the right thing.”
I can’t speak. Even after all this time apart, he’s still my best friend, but that doesn’t mean I can easily forgive him.
“And I knew you had to leave. Even before your mom passed, I knew you had to prove something to yourself, and you wouldn’t have found that by staying in Hideaway Harbor.”
“Maybe. But maybe not,” I reply bitterly. “I would have had a different life if I’d been with Piper, and I believe it would have been happier.”
There’s a weighty silence between us, interrupted only by the game commentary.
“And that’s why what Piper said to me yesterday was right. Iwaswrong. And I’m sorry.”
His gaze moves around the room, lingering on the pictures of Olivia. “You’ve got your second chance now. Don’t waste a second of it.”
“I won’t.” I take a breath. “You’re the same age as me. What aboutyoursecond chance?”
He shakes his head with a sad finality. “No one could ever replace Olivia, and I wouldn’t want anyone to.”
