Violet groans, tucking her black hair behind her ears and pulling me in for a hug. “Save yourself and make up an excuse, or else you’ll hear this all night if you agree to dinner.”
I laugh. “Thanks for the heads-up.”
She smiles, smoothing her fingers over my cheek. “You look good, you know? When you came home last summer, something seemed off, but now…”
Dad rolls his eyes, pushing her and her husband out of the way. “All right, enough hogging my child. Why don’t you two go find the others? I know Kieran and Juliet were around here somewhere.”
“Why do we have to find your guests?” Grayson snaps, but he drags Violet off to do so anyway.
“Can’t stand that man,” Dad grumbles.
Foxe steps up, snorting. “You love him and you know it.”
“Debatable.” Dad places his hand on Foxe’s head, giving him a little shake. “You’re all right though.”
“Gee, thanks.”
Mom pulls Dad away to go talk to a few of the other actors, and Foxe rocks back on his heels, giving me a once-over. “Well,” he says, nodding, “my mom was right. You do look better than when I saw you last.”
“You too,” I note, jutting my chin at his arm. “No more cast.”
“Ah, no. Been off a while.” He sighs, scrubbing the back of his neck with one hand, looking around. “You seen Aurora today?”
“She’s my roommate,” I tell him. “But not since this morning.”
“Yeah, figures. I’m sure she’s hiding from me still.” After a moment, he shrugs, dropping his arm. “But enough of that. What’s next on the agenda for Miss Noelle Anderson?”
Shaking my head, I cross my arms over my chest. “I’m just looking forward to the summer, I think. This semester was fucking insane, and I don’t think I’ve been all that lucky in love, so maybe lying low is?—”
“You haven’t?”
My back goes rigid at the sudden intrusion, goose bumps scattering along my skin. I spin around, instantly meeting moss-green eyes.
Behind my ribs, my heart thunders.
Sutton blows out a breath, pushing some of the brown hair off his forehead, and pulls his hand around from his back, presenting me with a bouquet of bright red roses. He holds them out but then seems to think better of it, bringing them to his nose to inhale instead.
“See, I brought these for my girlfriend,” he says, sighing. “But then I hear her telling some guy I’ve never met before that she’s not actually been lucky in love, and now I’m rethinking the gift. Perhaps I should have gone with yellow for friendship instead?”
“For the record, I’m a cousin.” Foxe holds his hands up in surrender.
I swallow, smirking. “I didn’t think you’d show up.”
Sutton’s brow furrows, and he steps closer, pressing the flowers into my arms. “And miss your performance on opening night? How terrible of a director would I have to be to do that?”
My trembling fingers close around the bouquet. “Well, it’s just at the hospital, you made it seem like you weren’t?—”
Cupping my jaw, Sutton swoops in and seals his lips to mine, stealing the words from my mouth and the air from my lungs. I grunt in surprise, the flowers sharp where their thorns press between us, but lean into it anyway.
“Didn’t I already tell you that you’re stuck with me,Maiden?” he asks when he pulls away.
Ugh, yeah. I don’t know what’s going to happen with that organization or the roles now, but something tells me it isn’t over.
He releases me, heading for the stage, and I stand there like all the thoughts have been zapped from my entire being.
Foxe snorts. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen your face get that red.”
A speaker crackles somewhere overhead, and suddenly Sutton’s standing in the center of the stage, holding a microphone in hand.
