Page 34 of Summer's Edge

She starts packaging up the books with renewed speed and I know I won’t get anything on this subject out of her tonight. She’s nothing if not stubborn and single-minded. And that’s something we do have in common.

It’s almost two AM by the time we have everything packed up. We didn’t get through her entire list because not all the books are in yet, so we’ll have to finish up in the morning once those overnight shipments come through. The store looks like she’s closing it, which makes me sad even though I know it’s not true. Eden started this place when she was sixteen and I can’t imagine her without it.

We drank so much coffee to stay awake and work that my hands are shaking, and I doubt I’ll sleep for the rest of the week.

“I could really use a beer right now,” I say as I sink down in one of the armchairs. “But you probably don’t have any, right?”

“I do, upstairs,” she says, taking me completely by surprise. The only times she drinks is for special occasions and even then, she’ll only have maybe a glass of wine.

I stand up. “Let’s go then.”

She blushes and leaps out of her armchair. “I’ll just go get it.”

Then she rushes out the back door where a set of old wooden steps lead to her apartment upstairs. Come to think of it, she hasn’t let me go upstairs at all tonight. She’s been bringing down all the coffee and snacks.

“Are you hiding something up there?” I ask when she comes down, carrying a six-pack of Bud with two cans missing. “Or someone?”

She blushes even harder than before.

“Is it a guy?” I ask. “Are you seeing someone? Who?”

Sometimes bombarding her with questions works.

“It’s nothing like that.”

I get the distinct feeling she’s lying. Even though my sister almost never lies and when she tries to, she’s really bad at it.

“All right, fine, you’ll tell me in your own good time,” I say as I twist off the cap of my beer. “But it better be sooner rather than later, OK?”

She has trouble removing the cap from her beer, so I help her.

“And you? How was it at the cabin with Edge?”

Lots of words come to mind. Amazing. Blissful. Perfect. Unreal.

That last one stings. Because that’s how he wants it now that we’re out in the real world again.

“We hooked up,” I say, but that doesn’t even come close to describing what we shared. She gasps anyway and looks at me with very wide eyes.

There’s always been an innocence and purity to Eden that I don’t have.

“And I think we fell in love a little bit,” I add and take a sip of my beer.

She gasps again. “Are you serious? That’s so amazing.”

“It really was. But… “

“You’re afraid what everyone else is gonna say?” she asks, uncharacteristically harshly. “Don’t be. It doesn’t matter.”

“Actually, it’s not me that cares,” I say. “He does.”

“Oh,” she says and takes another sip of her beer.

“Yeah, oh,” I say. “He tried to break up with me before I left, and I don’t even know where we stand now. Except that I do know. I can’t wait to see him again. He really opened up to me. Told me so much. Trusted me with his deepest and darkest secrets.”

She nods knowingly.

“I bet you know exactly what I’m talking about from all those books you read.”

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