Speak clearly and succinctly? Check.
Keep a tidy appearance? I run my hand across the rough edges of my beard.
Thankfully, I don’t have to delve too deep into the past because my manners were rubbish until Aunt Maureen changed that.
“For now, you can go get settled in your room. I’ll have your results when we meet in,” she consults the folder, “the Seaview dining room at seven for our first meal together.”
“Like a date?” I blurt.
Her cheeks tint a light shade of rose. “No, you goofball, like an evaluation.” She stands to leave, holding her chin high even though she’s still wet from my water guns. “And no pranks allowed.”
I can’t help it, my lips curl into a smile, but I quickly wipe it away. I didn’t intend for her to be the victim of my water gun spree. I may routinely disregard rules, but pranking Maggie has always been off-limits. I was protective of her like a sister. But in the years that passed since we last saw each other, we’ve both grown up.
It’s impossible to think of Maggie as a sibling. Don’t have one of those.
Inside, there’s that crackling.
A twinge of interest.
I should make those feelings off-limits.
I can’t afford to get attached.
I ought to keep it to friends only.
Or faking that we’re not friends.
I have to think of the team. But I won’t deny that I am looking forward to spending more time with My Magg-ola.
10
MAGGIE
Ididn’t see a chance of rain in the forecast today, but I am drenched, and not too pleased about it either. I want to be mad at Declan for blasting me with the full force of his water guns, but my head fills with clouds.
Big, fluffy, confusing—cumulus, sink right in and fall straight through swoony, blissy—clouds?
No. No, no! This is so not fair.
I’ll admit that I was being prickly and closed off because of the grand entrance. Declan doesn’t understand that beneath the clouds, there isn’t a safety net to catch me. Not only have my parents not reached out since I attempted to inform them of my job overseas. But I also can’t take a handout from them and it’s not because of pride. It’s the expectation of payback. Not with an IOU. They’d want me to beg, grovel, and record it all on film for the grand return of Honey Holiday, aka their shamefaced daughter, after the stunt they pulled. It depends on which option they think will garner more views and money.
However, there’s another part of me that’s more than thrilled at the return of my best friend to my life, front and center, big and bold. There’s no one like Declan Printz.TheDeclan Printz.
And maybe that’s the problem. The clouds remind me of what Etta Jo was saying. Perhaps she wasn’t wrong.
But she has to be, because if I’ve learned anything, it’s that these kinds of clouds are like bubbles in a bubble bath. Wait long enough and they’ll pop. Disperse. Leave as everyone else in my life has always done.
I could stand here, dumbstruck, all night. I could dwell on what I’ve gotten myself into. Or I could just keep ‘er moving as I’ve always done.
But as I step into the Blancbourg Academy hallway with its plush carpet, cream-colored walls with wood detail, and glowing sconces, everything has happened so fast that I spin in a circle, not sure which way is up or where to go.
Literally.
No matter how many turns I take in the winding, labyrinth-like halls of the manor, I can’t escape my thoughts. I’m right back where I started. Declan is here. What is Declan doing here? Never mind, I know the answer to that question, but DECLAN IS HERE.
And I don’t know how to feel about it. I may not be Cinderella, but her bluebirds seem to have taken up residence in my belly. How do I know? They flapped excitedly when Declan showed up.
Our periodic phone calls and regular texts were like cookie crumbs, the kind with a little chocolate chip in them, a trail leading us to someday being in the same town at the same time.
