he— God. His name was Frank North. But I didn’t make the connection.” Her face hardens, eyes flashing with a shadow of her usual fire. “Because Jonah didn’t tell me. Didn’t tell us. All this time we’ve been protecting him, keeping quiet about who he really is, and he never bothered to let us know that oh, by the way, he has a massive grudge against our family.”
“Ohhh,” I breathe. Jonah’s just like you manipulated my parents comment—which had flown right over my head in the heat of the moment—suddenly comes back to me, and his whole demeanor makes a lot more sense. No wonder he Hulked out at the name Anders. “So he hates Uncle Anders.”
“And us, probably.” Milly folds her arms tightly across her chest. “He’s been using us for cover. Stringing us along till he could do something like this, and humiliate our entire family. I gave him the perfect opportunity, didn’t I?”
“No,” I say quickly. “He wouldn’t do that.” Milly doesn’t respond, and I squeeze her arm. “Milly, come on. Even if Jonah were a complete jerk, which I don’t think he is, he’s not that good of an actor. You saw through him in a flash, remember?”
“I didn’t see this,” she says dully.
I want to find the right words to comfort her, but before I can say anything else, Donald Camden leans through the doors, his face a cold mask of fury.
“You two. You’re going back to the dorms. I’ll deal with you tomorrow.”
Of all the ways I thought my time on Gull Cove Island might end, I didn’t picture two guys in suits standing over me in a dorm room while I stuff everything I own into my duffel bag.
“Am I under arrest?” I finally blurt out.
Suit No. 1 huffs out a laugh. They’re both blond guys in their thirties, but he’s taller and broader. He’s holding the bag with my rental tuxedo, which they told me to change out of as soon as we got to the dorm. At least they waited in the hall while I did it. “We’re not cops, kid. We’re security detail. Our job is to get you off resort premises and into a hotel downtown. You get one night to make arrangements with whatever parent or guardian is responsible for you. Mrs. Story expects you to be off the island by tomorrow afternoon.” His tone is even, almost bored, as he adds, “What happens to you after that isn’t our problem.”
I zip my duffel in response, which Suit No. 2 takes as his cue to grab my arm again. “All right, let’s get moving,” he says.
“I’m coming,” I say tersely, shaking free. “But I need to send a text. I have to get in touch with my parent or guardian, right?”
His neutral expression doesn’t change. “Make it fast.”
He propels me toward the door and shuts it behind us. I blink in the fluorescent lights of the hall, too bright after the dim dorm room, until the dark spots in front of my eyes fade to reveal a half-dozen curious faces. Every Towhee who’s not working or attending the gala is in the hallway to watch my walk of shame. News travels fast on a twelve-mile island.
“So long, Jonah,” Reid Chilton’s roommate calls. “If that is in fact your name.”
“Get back in your rooms,” Suit No. 2 says. “Show’s over.”
Nobody listens. I keep my head down as the Suits lead me outside, scrolling through my contacts. But I’m not looking for father’s number; I’ll deal with that later. Instead, I pull up Milly’s.
I’m sorry, I text once I’m buckled into the backseat of the car. I screwed everything up.
Every time I think about what I did tonight, I feel sick. When Donald Camden burst in on my kiss with Milly, my time as Jonah Story was officially up. I knew it, and part of me was even relieved. What I should’ve done next was this: grab Milly’s hand and tell everyone within earshot that I wasn’t her cousin so they’d stop looking at her with shock and disgust, and focus all that negative energy where it belonged—on me. Then I could’ve taken the brunt of what happened next, or maybe Milly and I would’ve dealt with it together. Which is what I’ve wanted ever since she snagged my wallet and called me out.
Instead, I launched into my Anders Story revenge fantasy. Even though I’d already decided, that day we had brunch at Catmint House, that I needed to