Page 690 of Hell Hath No Fury
He’d made me start to hope.
The cruelty of it was overwhelming.
“No.” He tried to reach for me again, but I retreated. Anguish blazed in his eyes. “I care about you. I do. I just …”
“You don’t have to say it.” Disgusted with him, I dragged my eyes down his body and back up again. “Your family’s good opinion means too much to you, which means you think I’m not good enough—”
“No—”
“I know who I am. I know my worth. And I deserve better than you, better than someone who would try to make me feel horrible about myself because he can’t stand up to his family. My mistake for getting involved with aboy.”
He gaped at me, shocked, hurt, angry.
And it satisfied that spiteful part of me that wanted him to hurt as much as I did.
I whirled and stalked down the street, Jade’s footsteps syncing with mine. By the time we reached the train station, we were both sweaty and out of breath.
Plus, I felt beyond nauseated. Every part of me ached.
“You were wonderful.” Jade wrapped an arm around my shoulders as we waited on our train. “And you were right. He’s just a boy who doesn’t deserve you.”
“What about G?” My lips trembled as tears stung my eyes. “I don’t want to hurt her.”
Jade rested her head against mine. “It’s terrible and sad … but a clean break for the two of you will be best.”
“We live next door to each other.”
My sister sighed. “I know you might not want to hear this … but with me leaving … perhaps it’s time to sell the house.”
Aghast, I pulled away from her. “What do you mean?”
“It’s prime real estate. Even split five ways, your portion of the sale would buy you and Celeste a smaller place, maybe even somewhere closer to the beach.”
“But … it’s been in the family for three generations.”
“It’s just a house. And maybe it’s time to move on. Do you really want to watch Foster and Heather, or whoever he ends up with, start a new life with Georgie next door?”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Foster
Nothing felt right. He couldn’t settle. He couldn’t sleep. An anxious feeling stirred in his gut all the time. Guilt rode him hard. And dread. He didn’t even want to analyze the dread.
Georgie missed Ember.
They hadn’t seen her in two weeks.
She wasn’t answering his calls, his texts.
She didn’t swim at night anymore.
The few times he’d knocked on the door, Celeste answered, less than friendly, and told him Ember wasn’t home.
Foster couldn’t blame her. No, he hadn’t slept with Heather. He hadn’t even kissed Heather. But the strange double date with his parents was technically their second date because they’d had lunch alone in the city the week before. Something he hadn’t told Ember.
The whole time, he’d tried to tell himself he wasn’t doing anything wrong. The same at lunch with his parents.
And then Ember had walked into the restaurant.
