The line goes dead before I’ve even finished speaking.
* * *
The next few days are exhausting. When I’m not working, I’m apartment hunting. When I’m not apartment hunting, I’m trying not to think about Mel. And when I’m not thinking about Mel, I’m actively avoidinghim.
Each morning after my run, I peek into the kitchen, double-checking that it’s unoccupied before I grab my water. Most of the time it’s empty, especially now that Landon’s been spending more time at work than before our argument, but I always want to be absolutely sure. I’m trying to avoid confrontation at all costs.
After a particularly long day at work, I’m not expecting anyone to be home when I drag my tired body to the kitchen, not even bothering to turn on the lights. I have another missed call from Dad, but I don’t have the energy to speak to him right now, so I chuck my phone on the counter and head straight for the fridge, where I scavenge for something edible like the stray dog Landon initially compared me to.
“A little early for dinner, isn’t it?”
I scream. I can’t help it. I scream, whirl, and rip open my purse, searching for my pepper spray, because that voice did not belong to Landon. I squint through the darkness to see a large man standing in the doorway, and my heart breaks into a sprint. He’s got long hair, tattoos down his arms, and he’sdefinitelynot the kind of company Landon keeps. There’s no way he knows this stranger is in his house.
“How did you get in here?” I demand, aiming the pepper spray. I’ve never actually pepper sprayed someone before, but I have a decent idea of how it operates, not to mention the damage it can do. The man holds his hands up in surrender, pressing back against the wall.
“Woah, woah, woah. Hang on a second. I should be asking you the same thing, shouldn’t I?”
“Answer the question!” I cry.
“I’m Eli Blair. This is my brother’s house. Who the hell areyou?”
I blink at him. Blink again.
I’m Eli Blair. This is my brother’s house.
“Oh, shit.”
I lower the pepper spray in a slow, deliberate movement, and Eli reaches behind him to flick on the light, allowing me to see him clearly. Once I look past the wild, dirty-blonde hair and the obnoxiously even tan coating his skin, the resemblance this man has to Landon is almost uncanny. It’s in the high cheekbones and the dark eyes and the annoyingly handsome features. However, unlike Landon, Eli’s mouth has a hint of a smirk I have a feeling never goes away.
“I amsosorry,” I say, absolutely mortified.
Eli keeps looking at me, and then without warning, he throws his head back and laughs. He laughs and laughs and laughs while I stand there staring at him, wishing I could sink down between the floorboards and disappear. “You were really gonna do it, weren’t you?” he asks, wiping the tears from his eyes. He looks back at my utterly horrified expression and starts laughing all over again. “Man, that would have been epic. I’ve been punched, sure. Slapped, of course. But pepper sprayed? Nah, never that.”
“I’m so, so sorry,” I say again, certain my face is bright red. “I just…wasn’t expecting anyone to be here. You scared the crap out of me. Seriously, why is everyone in this family so light on their feet? It’s notnormal.” I shake my head.
“Don’t have an answer for you, there, but mind telling me who you are? Maybe I should be reaching formypepper spray.”
If possible, my cheeks turn redder.
“Oh, right. Of course. I’m so sorry. I’m Violet, Mel’s sister. I’m…staying here while I search for my own place.”
Eli’s eyes narrow. “Melanie has a sister?”
“Yeah, she does,” I say, trying not to let his question bother me.
“Huh.”
“Don’t see the resemblance?”
“I haven’t seen Landon or Melanie in a few years, so doubt I’d pick up on it if there was one.” He gives me a not-so-subtle once-over. “Good genes, though.”
I ignore his comment.
“So, does Landon know you’re here?” I ask, mostly because I’m at a loss for anything else to say.
Eli smiles, reminding me of a little kid who has done something he shouldn’t have. “Not yet.”
“Then how’d you get in here?” Did I accidentally leave the door unlocked?
