nodded
silently and remained standing until Eric had disappeared inside the house.
Once the front door had shut, he turned to look into his backseat. “You want
shotgun?”
Angela crossed her
arms. “I’m fine here.”
Oh, good, Blake thought with an internal sigh as he reclaimed his seat and
pulled the door shut. Her being angry
will make this so much easier.
Chapter Nine
Awkward silence
settled over the car after Blake switched off his radio and eased out of the
driveway. When he was back on the main road, he heaved another sigh and finally
said, “Angie, I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to be rude, but I need to talk to you
about something.”
Keeping her eyes
pointed out the small back window, Angela replied, “That’s what they invented
phones for, Blake.”
Blake tightened his
grip on the steering wheel. “I need to talk to you about what Mom learned from
Uncle Nicholas.”
In the rearview
mirror, Blake watched as Angela’s eyes widened marginally and her posture
relaxed. After another moment, she turned her gaze forward and let her arms
fall to her sides.
“Did you figure
something out?” she asked, her frustration almost gone from her voice.
Blake shook his head.
“No, we’re still pretty much clueless. But the four of us got together
yesterday, and Logan suggested we run over a list of everyone we know of who
knows about us.”
Her frown returned,
but her voice was much the same when she asked, “And you want to know if I’ve
blabbed to my boyfriend, right? Like Dean and Nate with their girlfriends? Like you ?”
Fearing where she
was going to take the conversation, Blake replied, “Well, I wasn’t going to
word it that way, but … yeah.”
Pursing her lips
for a moment, Angela finally said, “I haven’t. I certainly could have, and
we’ve been together long enough none of you would have the right to give me a
hard time about it, but I haven’t.”
Genuinely
surprised, Blake asked, “Why not?”
Angela shrugged,
her gaze returning to the side window. “I don’t know, it just … hasn’t felt
right. Besides, I don’t know for sure what he’s doing for college yet; if we
end up breaking up, or doing the long-distance thing, then it’ll be better if I
don’t.”
Curiosity mounting
with each word she said, Blake found himself asking, “Are you two having
trouble?”
“No!” Angela
asserted quickly, turning forward again and meeting his gaze fearlessly through
the rearview mirror. She took a breath and calmly explained, “I’m just being
cautious. I know that most high school relationships don’t work out, so I’m not
going to assume it will until I have a little more to go on. But we’re fine , so don’t go celebrating or
something.”
Blake couldn’t help
the grin that curved his lips as he said, “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
They fell into
silence until Blake pulled to a stop in front of their parents’ garage. He was
reaching for the handle on his door when his sister’s quiet voice carried to
his ears.
“Blake,” she said
softly, her eyes faded and distant with thought. “You’ll let me know when we
figure this out, right? ”
Frowning at the
strange tone in her voice, Blake shifted so that he could turn slightly to face
her. “Of course.”
Angela dragged her
eyes to his. “And … we’ll be okay, won’t we? All of us?”
“What are you
worried about, Angie?” Blake returned, concern welling up inside of him.
She swallowed and
her eyes flicked to the house through the windshield before she looked back at
him. “Mom … lost two of her brothers, remember? And she barely hears from the
others now that Grandma and Grandpa are gone. I … don’t want that to be us,
that’s all.”
Blake offered his
sister a soft, reassuring smile and reached over to pull one of her smaller
hands into his. Giving it a light squeeze, he said, “That won’t be us, Angie. I
promise.”
Releasing a heavy
breath, Angela returned his smile and squeezed his
silently and remained standing until Eric had disappeared inside the house.
Once the front door had shut, he turned to look into his backseat. “You want
shotgun?”
Angela crossed her
arms. “I’m fine here.”
Oh, good, Blake thought with an internal sigh as he reclaimed his seat and
pulled the door shut. Her being angry
will make this so much easier.
Chapter Nine
Awkward silence
settled over the car after Blake switched off his radio and eased out of the
driveway. When he was back on the main road, he heaved another sigh and finally
said, “Angie, I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to be rude, but I need to talk to you
about something.”
Keeping her eyes
pointed out the small back window, Angela replied, “That’s what they invented
phones for, Blake.”
Blake tightened his
grip on the steering wheel. “I need to talk to you about what Mom learned from
Uncle Nicholas.”
In the rearview
mirror, Blake watched as Angela’s eyes widened marginally and her posture
relaxed. After another moment, she turned her gaze forward and let her arms
fall to her sides.
“Did you figure
something out?” she asked, her frustration almost gone from her voice.
Blake shook his head.
“No, we’re still pretty much clueless. But the four of us got together
yesterday, and Logan suggested we run over a list of everyone we know of who
knows about us.”
Her frown returned,
but her voice was much the same when she asked, “And you want to know if I’ve
blabbed to my boyfriend, right? Like Dean and Nate with their girlfriends? Like you ?”
Fearing where she
was going to take the conversation, Blake replied, “Well, I wasn’t going to
word it that way, but … yeah.”
Pursing her lips
for a moment, Angela finally said, “I haven’t. I certainly could have, and
we’ve been together long enough none of you would have the right to give me a
hard time about it, but I haven’t.”
Genuinely
surprised, Blake asked, “Why not?”
Angela shrugged,
her gaze returning to the side window. “I don’t know, it just … hasn’t felt
right. Besides, I don’t know for sure what he’s doing for college yet; if we
end up breaking up, or doing the long-distance thing, then it’ll be better if I
don’t.”
Curiosity mounting
with each word she said, Blake found himself asking, “Are you two having
trouble?”
“No!” Angela
asserted quickly, turning forward again and meeting his gaze fearlessly through
the rearview mirror. She took a breath and calmly explained, “I’m just being
cautious. I know that most high school relationships don’t work out, so I’m not
going to assume it will until I have a little more to go on. But we’re fine , so don’t go celebrating or
something.”
Blake couldn’t help
the grin that curved his lips as he said, “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
They fell into
silence until Blake pulled to a stop in front of their parents’ garage. He was
reaching for the handle on his door when his sister’s quiet voice carried to
his ears.
“Blake,” she said
softly, her eyes faded and distant with thought. “You’ll let me know when we
figure this out, right? ”
Frowning at the
strange tone in her voice, Blake shifted so that he could turn slightly to face
her. “Of course.”
Angela dragged her
eyes to his. “And … we’ll be okay, won’t we? All of us?”
“What are you
worried about, Angie?” Blake returned, concern welling up inside of him.
She swallowed and
her eyes flicked to the house through the windshield before she looked back at
him. “Mom … lost two of her brothers, remember? And she barely hears from the
others now that Grandma and Grandpa are gone. I … don’t want that to be us,
that’s all.”
Blake offered his
sister a soft, reassuring smile and reached over to pull one of her smaller
hands into his. Giving it a light squeeze, he said, “That won’t be us, Angie. I
promise.”
Releasing a heavy
breath, Angela returned his smile and squeezed his
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