Page 91 of Always You (A Lilac Bay Novel)

She shook her head. “You’re in denial.”

I was starting to get really annoyed now. “You know,” I said, my voice tight, “I’ve always hated it when people impose such cliché restrictions on my relationship with my best friend.” She started to argue, so I help up my hand, talking over her. “Oh, we have different kinds of genitals, so clearly we must secretly want to bang. It’s such crap, Rebecca. I just can’t believe you’re the one putting it on me right now.”

“This isn’t about clichés or gender roles or what society expects,” she said. “This is about you and Andrew.”

“We’refriends.”

“So you felt absolutely nothing when you kissed him tonight?”

Well, that shut me up. Try as I had to ignore it, I couldn’t help the memories rising in my head.

The feel of Andrew’s work-roughened hand on my cheek, gently cradling my face like it was something precious. His other hand at the small of my back, pulling me closer to his body, his chest so solid and substantial against me. And the feel of his lips, his insistent, warm lips on mine, pressing, persisting, taking my breath away. The spark I had felt, deep down in my chest. That inexplicable—something.

And the clearest memory of all. The way his eyes had held mine for that long moment after pulling away. The moment that seemed to stretch on and on, an eternity passing between us. I had always been able to tell what Andrew Powell was thinking under any circumstance. But after we kissed tonight I had looked into his eyes and—not known. For the first time I could remember, I’d had no clue what he might be thinking.

“You should see your face right now,” my sister muttered.

And just like that I knew exactly what I needed to do. What I should have done earlier, instead of coming here.

“I have to go,” I said, standing so quickly I knocked my cup to the ground. I was thankful it was only white wine as the liquid pooled across the porch.

“Don’t worry about it,” Rebecca said, waving her hand. She peered up at me in the darkness. “What are you going to say to him?”

I shook my head, not really surprised that she had guessed where I was heading.

“I have no idea. I just—I need to see him.” Maybe if I could see him right now, I might be able to figure it out, to understand what he had been thinking. To find out if the kiss had affected him in the same way it affected me. I still thought that my sister was crazy—there was no way Andrew felt that way about me. But I didn’t like there being anything secret between us. I didn’t like that I could look into his eyes and not know how he felt. So I needed to fix that. Now.

“Riley,” she murmured, just before I stepped off the porch. I turned back to see her watching me, a concerned look on her face. “Be nice to him, okay?”

I bristled at that. “Why wouldn’t I be nice?”

“I just mean—don’t jump right into the teasing and the jokes, okay? It’s your defense mechanism, I get that, but I don’t think this is really the time.”

“I’m not going to tease him,” I said, stung by her words. I didn’t have a defense mechanism. What total crap.

“Okay,” she said. “Just try to remember—this might be hard for him. If I’m right about what he’s feeling—” She held up her hands when I started to protest. “Just pretend I am for a second, okay? It can’t be easy for him, you know? So just keep that in mind.”

Definitely delusional, I thought. But I didn’t tell her that.

“Fine. I’ll be on my very best behavior.” I took the stairs two at a time. “Thanks for the wine,” I called over my shoulder.

“Good luck.”

I couldn’t be sure, but I thought her voice sounded the slightest bit sad.

I wasn’t exactly sure where to find Andrew, but I had a pretty good guess. It was, after all, Saturday night in Lilac Bay. And since we didn’t exactly have much nightlife in this town, it was pretty safe to bet he was at Cora’s.

The place was packed, every bit as bad as the nights we would gather here to watch episodes of the show. I saw Cora hurrying past with a tray in her hand. “Oh, hey, Ri,” she said.

“What the hell is going on in here tonight?” I asked, staring around the dining room, which appeared to be standing room only at this point.

She grinned. “Tourists. I think the Heather Dale publicity bump is in full swing.”

“Wow.” I hadn’t realized so many people could even fit in here. I couldn’t wait to get the occupancy stats from the hotels on Monday morning. “You need a hand?” I asked.

“Nah, I’m fully staffed. Everyone is getting their tips tonight.” She shot me a grin. “See you around?”

“Sure. Oh, hey—have you seen Andrew?”