“What?”
“The note you put in our mailbox.” He holds up an envelope with his name on it in all caps. It’s my stationery, but definitely not my handwriting. “After that text, I was so happy you wrote to me.” He hands it to me.
Edward,
We have lots to talk over. Meet me at the tree at 11 today.
Elinor
“I didn’t write this. It must have been Annie.”
“Yeah, I see that now,” he gives me a sad smile. “I should have noticed right away that it wasn’t your handwriting. But you know why the best cons work? They offer you something you want desperately.”
That’s... actually a really sweet thing to say.
But I’m too busy pulling on the handle of the trap door with all my might to think too much about it. The door won’t open. I don’t even know how Annie could have locked it. I can’t believe my sister would go to these lengths.
I phone her.
“Annie! You’re insane! Let us out.”
“Did you find my note?”
“We did.”
“Then you know what to do.” She giggles.
“It’s beginning to rain!” I whine.
“Then hurry up and kiss him. You can thank me later.”
“This is ridiculous. Just let us down.”
“Youknowyou want to kiss him.” She says so loudly. Edward’s lips twitch up like he’s trying not to laugh.
“Annie... please!” My sister ends the call. I give the trap door one more yank.
Edward leans against the railing, his arms folded across his chest. while his gray eyes study me. “Should I be insulted by how much you don’t want to kiss me?”
The mist holds just enough light to feel magical. It’s ridiculously romantic, with everything smelling of wet wood and pine. My sister must be feeling so smug. But what she doesn’t understand is that this kiss—this kiss that she’s hoping will swayEdward—will destroy me. It will give me a taste of what I can’t have. My mom and sister call me unromantic, but that isn’t true. I am simply careful with my heart. Because I know just how easily I could lose it.
“It’s the principle of the matter,” I say. “Plus, I’m not happy with you right now.”
“That’s fair. But would it really be so bad to kiss me?” He offers his hand and pulls me to my feet.
“What would your girlfriend think of you saying that?” I try to sound cool and collected, even though my heart is racing.
“There’s no girlfriend. There never really was. Caroline and I had lunch the other day for the first time in weeks. We both agree that we’d be happier with other people. I’m pretty sure she’s already dating someone else. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Oh,” is all I can manage. Edward is single. And we are standing toe to toe, just inches apart.
“Out of curiosity, who told you I had a girlfriend?”
“Lucinda.”
“Of course she did.” He rakes his fingers through his hair which is just beginning to curl in the rain, as if he just stepped out of the shower. “And it’s my fault. I told her that I had a girlfriend to get her off my back,” he shrugs his shoulders sheepishly. “But Caroline was hardly my girlfriend.”
“Care to explain?”
