“Peter’s not with a bunch of girls,” I say quickly. “To be honest, he and the Lost Boys are like a weird fraternity that just wants to hang out with each other.” Most of the time, if you don’t count the mermaid actresses on the resort.
“But you?” she presses. “Is that your kind of thing?”
“I…uh…” Yikes. Not exactly the conversation I want to have with her. What am I supposed to do, lie? It’s not like she wants to hear the truth.Yep, I’ve basically been partying most of my free time for the last five years and have a reputation as a ladies’ man.
But something about you makes me want to change that.
Before I’m able to come up with some kind of answer, I spot a figure standing in front of Agatha’s house. “Is that…”
Sure enough, dressed in all black with a metallic silver cape, Agatha is waiting outside her home for us.
CHAPTER 20
Lily
EDVARD GRIEG — ARIETTA FROM LYRIC PIECES, BOOK I, OP. 12
Ican’t help it—I scream. “Ahh!”
“Shh!” Ryder grabs my arm, gripping his leather jacket.
I look at Ryder, eyes wide. “What do we do?”
“I don’t think we have a choice,” he replies, looking back at Agatha waiting for us.
Step by step, we make it up to the front door of the house, where Agatha meets us with a firm glare. “Nice to see you two.” She looks at me specifically. “What a lovely jacket, Lily.”
I gulp. “It was a little cold out here.”
“Hmm.” She glances at Ryder. “Why don’t you both come in?”
Ryder places his hand on the small of my back and gently pushes me inside. I wish I could appreciate his touch.
Agatha climbs up the stairs, and with every step, my heart sinks even lower. This was one of the best nights of my life, and now I’m terrified of the consequences. When we reach the fourth floor, she opens the door, her arm outstretched like a generous hostess, except this is my room. Well, it’s technically her tower though, so…the details are a little confusing.
“Let’s sit,” Agatha says.
I shrug off Ryder’s jacket and shove it against his chest, trying to get it as far away from me as possible. I stumble over to the couch, taking a seat next to Agatha. Ryder sets the jacket on the back of the couch and sits on my other side but keeps a wide berth.
“What are you doing home?” I ask.
She quirks a brow at me. “The traffic cleared after we talked. Which you would have known if you’d checked your messages.” She holds up her phone. “Thankfully, I kept my phone on, and I saw the message Rufus sent me. Did you really think he wouldn’t tell me what you were up to?”
A pit forms in my stomach. “I…I didn’t…” I stammer.
“It’s all my fault, Agatha,” Ryder cuts in. “I convinced Lily to leave. Please don’t take this out on her.”
“Take it out on her? Oh, my dear.” Agatha titters a laugh and places a hand on her chest. “I’ve known about your visits from the very beginning.”
My jaw drops open. “You…what?”
Agatha points outside. “What kind of guardian would I be if I didn’t have security cameras outside? Did you really think I came in here looking for my wallet that first time he climbed the tower? Or that I just heard you fall that night when you fell off the couch?” She looks at Ryder. “I knew you were here. I’m still curious about where you were hiding though.”
There’s a slight pause. “Scaled the closet wall,” Ryder says quietly. “And hid under Lily’s bed.”
Agatha nods knowingly. “Ah, of course.”
I finally find my voice. “So you knew he was coming here but you didn’t stop him?”
