“I can’t very well tell her that, can I? She doesn’t even know about Raina.” I sighed, moving my hand away from the steering wheel long enough to massage my temples for a moment, hoping to ease the stress headache.
“Well, maybe she’ll find out next Saturday. I mean, I can’t believe I didn’t see it before. That waitress looks like Cal. She evenglaresthe same way. They’re practically identical. She’s a straight page out of the loins of Michael.”
Now that I knew the truth of Raina too, it was easy to see her resemblance. No wonder her eyes had seemed hauntingly familiar.
“Connor suspected something was up with her. She felt the animosity and tension.” I sighed, the knowledge of who the waitress really was sitting heavily on my mind. We might be keeping one hell of a secret from everyone else, but Connor and I didn’t have secrets with each other. This would be the first.
I didn’t like it. Hell, I didn’t like keeping Connor a secret either, but I’d do anything for her.
“I wonder if she’s single,” Evan said thoughtfully. “Or would it be weird if we both dated his sisters?”
“Yeah, that would probably be weird,” I chuckled. “I thought you liked Ellery?”
“I do, but I don’t know if she’s that into me.” Evan sounded a little bummed out about that, but by the time I looked at him, he’d schooled his expression into a lopsided grin. “I like to keep my options open, and Raina is pretty gorgeous.”
I tilted my head and let out a breath. “She’s also a single mom. Can you handle that kind of baggage?”
“Being a parent isn’t baggage.” Evan frowned.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” I apologized, not realizing how it sounded until I’d said it. “I meant; can you handle being a father figure to a kid? Kids are a lot of responsibility.”
“Hey, now, I haven’t even asked her out yet,” Evan said on a laugh. “But if the girl I end up with has a kid already, I’d be fine with that. Kids aren’t a deal breaker to me.”
“What is?” I teased.
“Not being someone’s first choice,” Evan said, an uncharacteristic vulnerability in his voice. I cast a curious look at him. “I mean. I don’t want to feel like the girl I’m with is settling for me, you know?”
“Yeah, I get it.” I nodded, pulling into Evan’s parents’ driveway.
* * *
After droppingEvan off at his parents’ place, I stopped to pick up some snack food and takeout before driving to Mahone Bay.
We’d been back in town for a while now, but the novelty of seeing us around was still new. The young cashier at the gas station practically started sobbing when I walked in to pay for gas and grab a few bags of chips and some pop. I signed the magazine she was reading, the one with mentions of The Forgotten Flounders being spotted in various places around the community.
The gossip rags were already having a field day speculating how serious it was between me and the “red-haired beauty” I’d been spotted with. The one I’d signed had a blurry photograph of Connor and I walking along the beach. The long ends of her hair were visible, but her face was turned just enough that the camera hadn’t been able to get a clear shot of her. It was only a matter of time before they realized the only redhead in my life was my best friend’s little sister.
Clearly, Calum wasn’t paying any attention at all to the celebrity gossip, or he’d have put two and two together by now. Either way, it was evident we were going to have to address our relationship with Calum sooner rather than later.
The Forgotten Flounders were back, and we weren’t going anywhere any time soon. But the novelty of writing about us probably wouldn’t wear off for a while, especially not when the press caught wind of Calum’s evolving family situation. The gossip rags would have a blast once they discovered he had a son after nine yearsandhe has a long-lost half-sister.
I could understand Calum’s reluctance to address it though. He was afraid to let the wolves in even a little bit, because we all knew they’d pick apart the meat on his bones until he was a skeleton, once they got a hold of the truth.
I drove past the three churches coming into town and took a left on Frank’s old street. I pulled into the empty driveway and parked, looking up at the big old blue house.
The living room lights were on, as well as the front hallway. I thought I saw the living room curtain move as I walked up the walkway to the front porch.
The front door swung open as I climbed the stone steps. Connor stood before me, bathed in the glow of the hallway lights. She was dressed in a pair of blue skinny jeans and a black button-up top. Her red hair fell in waves over her shoulders. She was so goddamn beautiful she took my breath away.
I didn’t even think, I just went to her, putting the bags I was carrying down in the hallway so I could cup the side of her face. I ran my thumb over her lips before kissing them.
Her lips parted, her tongue meeting mine in a slow dance that instantly shot the blood south. I backed her into the foyer, using my foot to close the door behind me without breaking the kiss.
Connor smiled against my lips, bringing her hands up to tug at my collar, dragging me closer against her. I growled, deepening the kiss with fervor, desperate to lose myself in her.
She kissed me back with just as much hunger, then slowly broke the kiss to pull away and look up at me with a rueful smile.
“I’ve missed you,” she said, her eyes sparkling.
