Emily plays with my hair as we watch the movie. “Ean ran into Shadow on his way here,”
“Oh, it was good, I guess. I’ll find out more after my final interview.”
“That was quite a long interview.”
“About an hour,” I clarify. She runs her fingers through my hair and pulls. “Ouch,” I exclaim, sitting up and rubbing my head. “What the hell was that for?”
She narrows her eyes at me. “Oh, come on, you’re not going to tell me about you and Shadow? I saw the googly eyes he made at you and the way you blushed around him after the concert, and I know you were gone longer than an hour.”
Still rubbing my head, I mumble, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You two suck at hiding. Sixes saw the two of you in the hall kissing right before you disappeared. Joe let Shadow into the mansion.”
“Shit!” Confusion floods my brain.
“Yeah. Oh, shit,” she says, crossing her arms over her middle. “You’re welcome, by the way.”
“For...”
She huffs. “Sixes told me about the two of you, so I suggested that she didn’t. I implied that she saw you with the new hire near the stables. Then, I suggested to Joe that Shadow mentioned he couldn’t find you and that he would return.”
“Suggested?”
She leans forward. “I didn’t tell you?”
“Obviously, or I wouldn’t be sitting here wondering what you’re saying.”
“Right. I forgot. I found my new superpower,” she proclaims with a grin.
“You mean you can do more than just make noses bleed?”
She laughs. “Yeah. Shadow calls it the power of suggestion. I’ve been practicing on my brothers.” I giggle. “A couple of weeks ago, Ean caught me sneaking out of the house. I told him he didn’t see me, that it was a stray cat. Of course, I was being sarcastic at the time, but then suddenly, he walked right past me and began searching for the made-up cat.” She shrugs. “Elijah complained about my room being a mess. I told him to clean it, and he did!”
I sit back on my legs, eyeing her warily. “Have you been practicing on me?” I ask.
“It doesn’t work on you or Shadow. I tried to get you two together all week.” I quirk an eyebrow at her, and she shakes her head. “Anyway, you two need to be more careful. You're just lucky I was around.”
“You’re not upset with me?” I swirl my fingers around in the fabric of my quilt.
“I just told you. I’ve been trying to ship you two together.”
“You did? I still don’t understand. Why me? He can be with anyone he wants. Plus, he’s older than me.”
She frowns. “He’s complicated,” she admits, looking away. “It has to do with the accident ten years ago.” She doesn’t continue, swallowing the rest of her explanation. This is a bit unlike her because she usually says whatever comes to her mind. But Emily can keep secrets. She’s been keeping one about herself from everyone.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me. I’m not blind. I see how the two of you are together. He’s your friend.”
She turns back to face me and readjusts her position on the bed. “You should know something, before things become more serious between the two of you.” She squeezes my hand. “Please don’t hate me.”
“I could never hate you, Em.”
“You will if I?—”
The twins burst into my room. “What the hell is going on between you and Terrell Beck?” Jeremy growls.
“Who the hell is Terrell Beck, and why is he suddenly infiltrating my life?”
“When I find him, he’s dead!” Justin snaps.
