call rings over his speakers, and he takes it.
“Hey, what are you doing?” A woman’s voice fills the car.
“In the car.” His voice is low, even-keeled. Like he’s trying to be cool and calm. Like he didn’t just give me a tour of his childhood like some adorable dork. Like he hasn’t noticed me checking out how great his ass looks in those ripped jeans. Like he hasn’t been staring at my lips like he wants to devour them since the second I stepped out of the guest room.
I stare out the window and attempt to focus on anything else. There’s a jewelry store sign. A green trash can. A mailbox. A cupcake shop.
“What do you need, Demi?” he asks.
Demi.
His sister.
I exhale, politely pretending not to listen—as if that’s even possible when her voice is blasting from the speakers.
“You texted me earlier about running Haven to school Friday morning, and I was calling to tell you that Royal has Friday morning off from class, and he could take her if that’s okay,” she says. “I have to work. Mom has a doctor’s appointment at ten. Royal’s your only option.”
“Yeah, I’m fine with that. He’s going to stay at the preschool for two and a half hours and wait, right?” Derek asks. “He won’t go anywhere?”
Demi’s breathy laugh fills the speakers. “He will not leave the premises. Not even if some man in a van outside says he has puppies.”
Derek rolls his eyes, his full lips twisting up.
“Royal will protect Haven with his life. You know that,” Demi says. “He’ll take her, wait there, and bring her home. Mom’s watching her afterward, right?”
“Right.” Derek slicks his palm along the steering wheel, his chest expanding and falling as he breathes deeply and lets it go.
“Don’t worry. We’ve got this. Don’t stress, okay?” Demi consoles her brother. “Haven’s in good hands. I’m pretty sure we love her more than we love you, and we kind of love you a lot.”
Derek’s perfect mouth widens for a quick second. “Yeah, yeah. Okay. Tell Royal thanks.”
“Will do.” Demi ends the call.
“So.” He turns to me. “That was Demi, the rightful owner of the Us Weekly under your seat.”
I can smile about it now. I like her. She seems down to earth, and I love watching her razz her brother, because I get the impression that there aren’t a lot of people who regularly give him crap.
And he’s always so serious, which is why I call him “counselor.” He needs to lighten up.
Growing up, I always wanted a sibling. Someone to fight with. Someone to love unconditionally. Someone to share the good and the bad with.
But it was always just me.
All by my lonesome.
“She seems nice,” I say.
“She’s been through some stuff the last six months.” He switches on his turn signal and pulls into the parking garage. “Was engaged to this guy. He was seeing someone else. Got the other girl pregnant, unbeknownst to my sister. Called off the engagement. Got into a car accident on his way to see the other woman . . .”
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah. He was in a coma for a couple of weeks. Apparently, he’d done some horrible things and hidden them from my sister.” Derek shakes his head. “I mean, it was like everything just bubbled up to the surface all at once. And then her ex showed up out of nowhere.”
“Is that . . . Royal?”
“Yes,” Derek says. “They’re together now. The other guy is long gone. Last I knew, he was under house arrest and preparing for his trial. He’ll be going away for a long time.”
“What did he do?”
“Stole a lot of money from a lot of people.” He pulls into his reserved spot and shifts into park before shutting off the engine. “Ponzi schemes. Credit card fraud. That sort of thing.”
“How awful.”
“Don’t let this sleepy little town fool you. We have just as much drama as the next town.”
We climb out of his car and head toward the building, and I swear I feel the trace of his fingertips on the small
“Hey, what are you doing?” A woman’s voice fills the car.
“In the car.” His voice is low, even-keeled. Like he’s trying to be cool and calm. Like he didn’t just give me a tour of his childhood like some adorable dork. Like he hasn’t noticed me checking out how great his ass looks in those ripped jeans. Like he hasn’t been staring at my lips like he wants to devour them since the second I stepped out of the guest room.
I stare out the window and attempt to focus on anything else. There’s a jewelry store sign. A green trash can. A mailbox. A cupcake shop.
“What do you need, Demi?” he asks.
Demi.
His sister.
I exhale, politely pretending not to listen—as if that’s even possible when her voice is blasting from the speakers.
“You texted me earlier about running Haven to school Friday morning, and I was calling to tell you that Royal has Friday morning off from class, and he could take her if that’s okay,” she says. “I have to work. Mom has a doctor’s appointment at ten. Royal’s your only option.”
“Yeah, I’m fine with that. He’s going to stay at the preschool for two and a half hours and wait, right?” Derek asks. “He won’t go anywhere?”
Demi’s breathy laugh fills the speakers. “He will not leave the premises. Not even if some man in a van outside says he has puppies.”
Derek rolls his eyes, his full lips twisting up.
“Royal will protect Haven with his life. You know that,” Demi says. “He’ll take her, wait there, and bring her home. Mom’s watching her afterward, right?”
“Right.” Derek slicks his palm along the steering wheel, his chest expanding and falling as he breathes deeply and lets it go.
“Don’t worry. We’ve got this. Don’t stress, okay?” Demi consoles her brother. “Haven’s in good hands. I’m pretty sure we love her more than we love you, and we kind of love you a lot.”
Derek’s perfect mouth widens for a quick second. “Yeah, yeah. Okay. Tell Royal thanks.”
“Will do.” Demi ends the call.
“So.” He turns to me. “That was Demi, the rightful owner of the Us Weekly under your seat.”
I can smile about it now. I like her. She seems down to earth, and I love watching her razz her brother, because I get the impression that there aren’t a lot of people who regularly give him crap.
And he’s always so serious, which is why I call him “counselor.” He needs to lighten up.
Growing up, I always wanted a sibling. Someone to fight with. Someone to love unconditionally. Someone to share the good and the bad with.
But it was always just me.
All by my lonesome.
“She seems nice,” I say.
“She’s been through some stuff the last six months.” He switches on his turn signal and pulls into the parking garage. “Was engaged to this guy. He was seeing someone else. Got the other girl pregnant, unbeknownst to my sister. Called off the engagement. Got into a car accident on his way to see the other woman . . .”
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah. He was in a coma for a couple of weeks. Apparently, he’d done some horrible things and hidden them from my sister.” Derek shakes his head. “I mean, it was like everything just bubbled up to the surface all at once. And then her ex showed up out of nowhere.”
“Is that . . . Royal?”
“Yes,” Derek says. “They’re together now. The other guy is long gone. Last I knew, he was under house arrest and preparing for his trial. He’ll be going away for a long time.”
“What did he do?”
“Stole a lot of money from a lot of people.” He pulls into his reserved spot and shifts into park before shutting off the engine. “Ponzi schemes. Credit card fraud. That sort of thing.”
“How awful.”
“Don’t let this sleepy little town fool you. We have just as much drama as the next town.”
We climb out of his car and head toward the building, and I swear I feel the trace of his fingertips on the small
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