I’ve been caught.
Wait… why am I still watching this?
What is wrong with me?
Ingrid grabs her shirt and covers up her chest, even though I’ve seen it a hundred times.
“You’re seriously going to stand there and watch?” Wilder hollers.
My legs move into overdrive and I flip around and head straight for the black fence twenty feet away.
The one that overlooks the ocean.
I can’t believe I just stood there. Watching. Ingrid and Wilder. They were…
Guess their bet is over.
I run a tired hand over my face.
I’m not sure how long I stand there before Wilder appears at my side.
“Didn’t realize you had a watching kink,” he jests.
But it’s not the right time.
“Sorry,” I apologize. “I think I was in shock.”
“It’s been a long few days,” Wilder agrees. “We thought you’d be gone longer. Did things not go well with Britta?”
“They were fine,” I say, taking a deep breath. “But it turns out I have mommy issues.”
Wilder rests his elbows on the fence and tuts. “They can’t be any worse than having daddy issues.”
Despite everything we’ve been through, I laugh. “We’re a pair, aren’t we?”
“Two sides of the same coin,” Wilder says.
Then, more silence.
I’m so uncomfortable with silence.
“My mom attacked a guard,” I murmur.
“With a plastic spork,” Wilder adds. “Impressive, even for Fanny.”
“She caused bodily harm to someone just so she could… what? Go on the run?”
Wilder shrugs. “I’m sure your mom had her reasons.”
“And what about you?” I argue weakly. “What are your reasons for not calling Elowyn.”
His sister.
Who’s been texting me for days.
She needs her brother—not me.
“I don’t have any good ones,” he admits. “Except that I’m afraid if I let her in, then I have to let my dad in. And I’m not ready for that.”
