not. Her eyes pinch closed and her hand hits her chest and she’s really laughing now, completely surrendering to a fit of giggles. She wipes tears from her eyes before she speaks. “Oh my gosh, sorry. Sorry. That was mean—terrible, really. I was totally kidding. ‘Penalty of death’…oh it’s too good. Really, I’ve just always wanted to say something like that and I couldn’t resist.” She clears her throat. “But getting back to your question…honestly, no. Ethan had a great childhood.”
“That can’t be. Surely he was dropped on his head too many times when he was young?”
She smiles mockingly. “I’m sure we would have noticed a scar or two.”
“Jilted by a woman?”
“Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen to men like Ethan, though I would love if it did. He deserves to be brought down a peg or two.”
I can’t give up. I start to pace while I brainstorm. Then I stop on a dime and whirl around to face her, eyes bright with another idea. “Oh! Maybe your parents had a bad marriage? Lots of fighting? It’s tainted the idea of love for him permanently?”
“Our parents have been married for thirty-five years this September.” That’s right. I’d forgotten. “In fact, my dad still calls my mom Honeybuns and she pretends to hate it. It’s a whole routine they do.”
I’m shaking my head now, in full disbelief about what she’s saying.
She tilts her head, unable to conceal her smile any longer. “What makes you think he doesn’t like you?”
“Oh, his surly personality, constant glares, menacing presence—that sort of thing.”
“Huh, how odd. He’s usually pretty charming.”
“Charming?! You’re joking.”
“I think in our senior year of high school he won best personality and dream date. There was a fuss because usually you’re only allowed to win one superlative—”
“Was your school very small? Maybe he was the only boy in your class?”
“Oh no. My graduating class had over 800 people.”
So then that proves it once and for all.
Isla comes to the same conclusion.
“Hate to break it to you, but I think you’re right…he must just not like you.”
Chapter 24
Ethan
I’m annoyed with Taylor for offering up our cabin to my friends. Oh, sure, as a doting brother, I should want Isla to take my bunk rather than forcing her to sleep on the ground, but y’know what? Isla is nothing if not resourceful. She brought an inflatable mattress and a four-person tent just for herself. Even if she hadn’t come equipped, she would have had no issue finding a nice bear den, scaring the bear off, and settling in for the night.
Not to mention she was the one to force this weekend even after I told her there was nowhere for people to sleep. It’s just like her to finagle a nice, comfy cabin for herself while kicking me to the curb, although I guess technically Taylor’s the reason I’ll be sleeping on the ground tonight, not Isla.
Taylor.
The woman currently sitting across from me at the other end of the table, trying to blend into her surroundings. I know she doesn’t want to be here. She hasn’t said a word to me since she reappeared from the cabin with Camille and Isla. In the time the rest of us were out here setting up tents and unrolling sleeping bags, the three of them were “freshening up”. Isla and Camille both look like they’re dressed for a garden party rather than dinner in a camp mess hall. Taylor showered and changed, but Isla must not have won the dress battle because she’s still wearing jeans and a simple white blouse. She’s fresh-faced, with a pink tinge of color on her tan cheeks. Her dark chestnut hair is starting to softly curl as it air-dries.
Tanner wasted no time going over to chat with her when they rejoined us at the center of camp. Meanwhile, I struggled with the tent Isla brought—a large, ridiculous contraption that would take a whole crew an entire day to set up. Tanner made the girls laugh, and I nearly threw a metal pole at a tree. As a longtime friend of Isla’s, I know he’s a good guy, which is precisely why I don’t think it was a good idea that Isla invited him here this weekend. He’s had a crush on her for years and she’s dangled him on a string. Now, maybe he’s sick of waiting around, because he’s made it perfectly obvious he’s into Taylor.