Page 52 of A Little Secret
I clear my throat and try to choose my next words carefully. “I, uh, I had a hunch Drew was cheating on me, and I wanted to talk to him face to face, and since my driver’s license is now suspended thanks to my seizure Mom and Dad blabbered to you about, the next best thing was to…swing by.” I cringe as the words roll off my tongue.
“Swing by?” Everett laughs. “Swing by is a thirty-minute drive. An hour, tops. Drew lives across multiple states, Finley. That isn’t a quick drop-in kind of visit. You don’t just swing by?—”
“Wrap it up, Everett. It’s early, and I’m too tired for this conversation.”
“Someone’s sassy today,” he notes, twisting my own words back at me.
“Someone woke up to a grouchy phone call.”
“Because someone flew home early from their vacation to check on you,” he volleys back at me.
“Fine,” I grumble. “Unnecessary, but thank you for being sweet and ending your vacation early even though you most definitely could’ve called like a normal human being.”
“You’re welcome,” he answers shamelessly. “Besides, it was supposed to rain for the rest of the trip, so we weren’tmissing too much. Figured flying back with the girls and checking on you was the way to go.”
I snort. “Gee, thanks.”
“It also doesn’t hurt that Raine misses her family,” he adds. “Not sure what we’re gonna do next season with the Rockets.”
“You mean, other than kick butt and make a splash in the NHL?”
“And take her from her family,” he mutters.
“Whoa, there. Trouble in paradise, big brother?”
“Nah, we’re good. It’s just…I dunno.”
“Come on,” I push, grateful for the topic change. “Pretty sure being a solid sounding board is part of any little sister’s resume. Spit it out.”
“I dunno,” he repeats. “Her ex was good at keeping her from her family. And I know it was always the plan for me to move away and play for the Rockets, but I don’t wanna do the same thing. Not when they’re finally on good terms again.”
Despite Everett not being able to see me, I find myself nodding. He’s right. Raine’s ex was an abusive asshole who gave her crap anytime she wanted to see her family, so she stopped seeing them. I don’t think it happened overnight or anything, but sometimes it’s easier to avoid fights than to wade through them. With Raine coming around her family more now, I can see why she might be hesitant to move across the country to be with Everett.
“You’re nothing like Drake, though,” I remind him. “And besides, there are airplanes, right? I have no doubt you’ll bring her back to Lockwood Heights every chance you get.”
“Yeah, that’s true.” He sighs. “But now, she’s working with her dad, and…” Another sigh escapes him. “When are you coming home?”
“Subtle subject change,” I quip. “And today. We should be home around dinner time.”
“Sounds good. I’ll make you guys something to eat.”
“Don’t bother. We can grab food on the way.”
“You sure?”
“Yup. No big deal.”
“All right. By the way, I know you two have been teetering for a while. How did it go?”
“It?” I squeak. The blood drains from my face as I imagine telling him all the sordid details of what it feels like to kiss his best friend when he interrupts my spiraling thoughts.
“Confronting Drew,” he clarifies.
My body sags against the doorjamb. “Oh.”
“What did you think I was talking about?” Everett demands.
“Nothing,” I lie. “And it went…about as shitty as you would expect.” I rub my tired eyes again and replay the last twenty-four hours. The drive. The fight. Drew’s callousness. Me slapping him.