Page 173 of Someone Like Me
“I have no idea what this is,” Drew says, pointing to it.
“Looks good,” I say.
Footsteps approach behind us. “It’s chicken zucchini casserole, and it is good.” I turn to find Annie peering at the dish. “Mrs. Troxclair brought it.”
Mrs.Troxclair has been my next door neighbor for my whole life. “Aww. She’s so sweet. She used to let me come over and play with her cat Mustard when I was little,” I say, smiling at Annie.
She doesn’t smile back.
Drew digs the serving spoon into the chicken zucchini casserole. “Mrs. Troxclair and Grandma were gardening friends,” Drew says, casually enough, but I don’t miss the way his eyes move between me and his sister.
Annie doesn’t respond, and I can’t either. I’m no longer thinking about Mrs. Troxclair or Mrs. Vivian, but the hostile vibe that’s rolling off Annie and aimed unmistakably on me.
She knows I’ve hurt Drew. And she doesn’t trust I won’t do it again. It’s as plain to me as if it was written on her forehead. I need to clear the air.
“Um… A-Annie,” I stammer, nerves taking over. This is Drew’s sister. His closest living family member. If she hates me, I don’t—
“Annie, drop the attitude,” Drew levels, easy but firm. “Evie and I are together. For good. What she did this week she did to protect me.”
Annie Moroux is almost a foot shorter than her brother, but the frown of confusion that crowds her brow makes her look so much like him it’s uncanny.
“Protect you?” Her eyes dart to me, still distrustful. Still angry. “What’s he talking about?”
I take a lungful of breath, ready to tell her everything. “My s—”
“It’s a long story, sis,” Drew says. He’s talking to her, but his eyes are on me. “I’m not in the mood to go over it again. But suffice it to say, Evie put up with a lot to keep me safe. And it’s all good now. We’re solid. Nothing’s coming between us, so be nice.”
The look in his eyes is all mine. I feel it. His love. His conviction. My nerves dissolve. It’s going to be okay, even if Annie doesn’t see it.
But one glance at her tells me she does. She’s watching Drew with what looks like a little bit of awe, and I wonder if that’s the same look I’m wearing. Annie shifts her gaze to me and she ducks her head.
“I’m sorry, Evie, if I—”
“Don’t apologize.” I shake my head and reach for her hand. She lets me take it with a nervous smile. “I’m glad he has you in his corner. I promise, I won’t ever leave it.”
Annie may look like her brother when she frowns, but when she smiles, unlike him, she hides nothing. No non-smile for her. She bounces on her toes, and the next thing I know, she’s hugging me. And squealing.
“Jesus Christ,” Drew mutters under his breath, but I hand him my plate and hug his sister right back. Over her shoulder, Drew may be fighting a grin, but I can see happiness in every feature of his face. The lines around his eyes. The tug of muscle high on his cheeks. The upward tilt of his brow.
He’s about as happy as any Taurus could be.
“Evie and I need to talk,” Drew says as soon as Annie and I untangle from each other.
His sister gives him an arch look. “Yeah, I figured,” she says with a smirk. “If you want peace and quiet, you might try Florida.” Then Annie grabs a croissant off the table and she’s gone.
“She figured?” I ask.
Drew just gives me a silent eye roll and hands me a plastic fork. “C’mon.”
I follow him, but instead of moving toward the living room and the buzz of voices, we enter a hall, pass a bathroom, and end up at the bottom of the stairs, opposite the front door. The sounds of people are still audible but less distinct.
Drew nods toward the staircase. “Let’s go up.”
I follow him, stairs creaking as we ascend. “This house is huge,” I whisper, as we reach the landing, and the staircase turns to the left.
“Four bedrooms.”
When Drew reaches the top step, he turns and sits. When he tilts his head down to the spot beside him, I sit too. But I can’t help but look around. There’s a bedroom at my right shoulder, a bathroom across the hall to my left, and more beyond the staircase wall.
