Page 13 of Silent Partner (Pine Falls 3)

Hefting my haul, I heaved myself out of the car and into the cool autumn day. I took a moment to close my eyes and let the breeze off the river ruffle my hair, which was pulled up into a messy bun. I took several deep breaths of clean air, filled with a variety of aromas from the nearby eateries and cafés. It smelled delicious, like firewood chips mixed with hints of cinnamon and sage.

I would survive.

If anything, I was at least a survivor.

Feeling calm for a brief, fading-fast moment, I walked toward the old brick building that had such a great vibe. It had large windows and a huge mural on the side. In the middle of the mural, it read, The District. There were food trucks lined up near the river, serving the lunchtime crowd. Several people were jogging along the trail that followed the river. I missed running on it. Not as much as a certain other trail in Carrington Cove, but the river trail was my second-favorite place to burn calories. After my chocolate fest, I needed a good run. It would have to wait until after work. I had the late shift tonight, which meant I would do a YouTube workout later at home.

With determination, I marched in through the glass doors. I walked through the foyer filled with people checking out the different freestanding vendors who sold everything from handmade purses to custom jewelry. I did my best to avoid making eye contact with people, as I looked like Puffy the Magic Dragon. If you’ve never heard of her, she was Puff’s sweet and cute, slightly maniacal forgotten sister.

I made it through the crowd without a word spoken to me. People were probably afraid of my appearance, as they well should be. I walked into the shop and was greeted by Ginger, who was manning the storefront and showing a customer a stained glass wall clock that was for sale. Her wide eyes and gaping stare said it all—I was a wreck. I probably should have changed out of my sweatpants and chocolate-stained T-shirt. I almost felt bad now for throwing away all of Ariana’s crappy clothes a couple of years ago. I was beginning to thoroughly understand why she’d dressed like a slob to keep the opposite sex away. She was a genius. I should apologize to her.

I acknowledged Ginger with a wave and kept walking toward the workshop, where I could hear my nephew crying and my sisters and Grandma fussing over him. I almost wished someone could pick me up and bounce me gently. It seemed to always soothe Sammy. Heck, I would probably even burp for someone if they patted me on the back. Actually, burping might make my stomach feel better.

I plastered a fake smile on my puffy face, because that’s what I did. It didn’t last long, though. I was tired of pretending.

It took two seconds before my family was alerted to my presence. Like Ginger, they all stood there stunned, staring at my appearance. After blinking several times, Dani got to me first. No surprise there. She was worse than a mama bear when it came to me.

“Kinsley, what’s wrong?”

I dropped the basket and pathetically fell into her waiting arms. I figured while I looked pathetic, I might as well act like it. I sobbed into her chest; both Dani and Ariana were quite a bit taller than me. Soon my wails were louder than Sammy’s. So much so, Dani ushered me back into Ariana’s office so I wouldn’t scare away the customers. Ariana and Grandma followed with a still-crying Sammy. Apparently, he wanted to have a crying contest with me. I had news for him: I was going to be a tough opponent.

Once securely behind the closed door, Dani asked, “Did Giselle and Carter do something?”

They were a good guess, and the day was still young. I’m sure they had some torture in store for me too, but that fun would have to wait until I got to work. “No,” I managed to say between sobs. “Tristan,” I stuttered. “He . . . he . . . broke up with me,” I blubbered.

“No!” Dani and Ariana said at the same time.

“It’s true.” I buried my head farther into Dani’s chest. Burgeoning chest, I might add. I knew she was pregnant, but she hadn’t announced it yet. I understood that, considering her horrible miscarriage last year. Even I had a hard time shaking the awful scene of finding her almost bleeding to death in our old bathroom. I’d been letting her keep her secret until she and Brock were ready to tell everyone. But there was no doubt she was pregnant. She was pale and had lost weight, exactly like last time. Though this time she was much happier. I knew it was because she didn’t feel like Brock only married her because she was carrying his child. Not that he had in the first place. There was no doubt Brock had married her because he was head over heels for her. I wondered what that felt like.

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