“Genius.” She breathes a sigh of relief, then holds out her hand for the picture I still hold in my grasp. I hand it to her, our fingers brushing in the process.
If she’s affected by it the way I am, she doesn’t show it. But I get goosebumps all down my arm, and I rub my forearm to keep her from seeing. She sighs when she looks down at the picture, a yearning look in her eyes, and walks across the room, setting it on the tiny kitchen table. But she snaps out of it suddenly and looks at me. “All right. You can leave now.”
“Wait, what?” I unfold myself out of the closet and stand, shaking my legs out a little. “I just got here.”
“And you’re not supposed to be here.” She puts her hands on her hips, then awkwardly switches to crossing her arms over her chest, then switches back to one hand on her hip and the other dangling at her side. Is she trying to look intimidating? Because she looks as fearsome as a fluffy bunny in her pajamas and slippers.
I look back over at the picture on the table and notice a mess of beads. “What are you making over here?” I ask, walking over to take a closer look.
“None of your business!” She rushes behind me, but I make it there first.
“Friendship bracelets?” I ask. I turn to face her and see one on her wrist. “Want to make me one?”
She snorts in derision. “Sorry, but no.”
“Come on. It could say something cool, like ‘stunt man’ or ‘tough guy.’”
She just rolls her eyes, but a small smirk betrays her amusement. “Seriously, you need to leave.”
“But you haven’t explained why you’re here,” I say.
“Feel free to call Peter and find out,” she says. “Now go.” She gestures at the balcony.
“I have to climb down? Can’t I use the door?”
“There’s no door,” she says, but the slight quiver in her voice tells me she’s lying.
“Really? I doubt Agatha climbed down the balcony. And I’m pretty sure we heard some footsteps up the stairs.”
She doesn’t answer, but her eyes flick toward the bookshelf, then back to me.
My mouth drops open. “Secret door?”
“And that’s your cue,” she says, and she starts shoving me toward the window. If I wanted, I could stand still in place. But I let her push me along, stepping backwards until I bump against the wall.
Apparently she wasn’t gauging the distance, because she bumps right into me.
Instinctively, my hands go to her waist to steady her. My grin falls as I look down at her face, so close to mine, just a breath away. I linger for a moment. She feels sorightin my hands, her slight waist within my grip. My eyes drop to her lips, and I wonder, for just a moment, what it would be like to kiss her.
Apparently she’s not having the same thoughts. Her blue eyes flash up to mine, anger flaring. She shoves her hands against my chest, pushing herself away from me and out of my grasp. I hold my hands up in a surrender gesture. “Just trying to keep you from falling,” I say, my grin back in place.
“I wasn’t going to fall,” she hisses back.
“That’s not how it looked to me.”
She glances at the window and bites her lip. “Will you be okay climbing down?”
“Yeah. It’s really not as bad as it seems. You’d probably be able to do it, too. If you tried.”
Her eyes widen even more. “I would never.”
“Maybe you should.”
“Maybe it’s past time for you to leave.”
“Fine.” I turn and open the door to the balcony, but before I can step outside, I feel her hand on my arm.
“Wait!” she says.
