not say that word so loudly?”
“What? Sex?” I glanced around and found ten sets of eyes planted firmly on me. “Well, it’s true. We didn’t have sex.”
“There are more ways to have an affair than just sex,” Grandpa pointed out. “Some ways, emotional ways, are even more devastating.”
There was nothing I could say.
“It doesn’t matter.” He was calm, something I wasn’t used to seeing from him. “Things have been set in motion. What will be, will be.”
“Oh, you’re so profound.” I struggled to a standing position. I’d lost my appetite and needed air. “I’m going for a walk.”
“I wouldn’t use the front door unless you want to draw the attention of every passing motorist within a fifty-mile radius.”
He had a point. “I’ll use the back door.”
I trudged toward the swinging doors that led to the kitchen, and freedom, stopping when he called out to me. “What?”
His eyes twinkled when I met them. “Some things are meant to be, kid. You might want to consider this was always going to happen and accept it before your big conversation with Hunter.”
That was not what I wanted to hear. “Nothing happened!”
“As long as you keep telling yourself that, you’re doomed for disappointment. Suck it up. Life is about to change for you. It’s time you accept it. Those dreams you’ve been grappling with? I have a feeling some of them are about to come true.”
And that was the most terrifying thought of all.
SNEAKING AWAY AND LEAVING HUNTER TO deal with the fallout seemed cowardly, but it was his relationship. There was nothing I could offer except further drama if I tried to intervene on his behalf. What happened seemed as much my fault as his, but I couldn’t involve myself. He had to do what he felt was right, and if that meant staying with Monica, that was his choice.
Except that I wanted him free. It was hard to admit, especially after I’d fought everyone else saying it, but if he was unencumbered by a girlfriend we might actually be able to figure out if there were remnants of real feelings or just hormones zipping about the room when we were together. It felt real, but it could’ve been something else entirely.
For lack of anything better to do, I headed downtown. Yes, I was likely to run into someone who would ask questions about the previous evening, but I didn’t feel like being alone. I wanted to disappear in a crowd. Shadow Hills wasn’t known for crowds, but being alone felt like the wrong choice given the almost break-in of the night before.
The coffee shop was half empty. One of the few faces I recognized was Erin’s. She sat at a table alone, looking at her phone. After ordering my drink, I hesitated, and then timidly approached her table.
“Um ... want some company?”
Amusement was evident on her face. “I’m guessing you want some company.” She gestured to the chair across from her. “Sit down.”
“Thanks.” I got comfortable.
“Rough day, huh?” She didn’t look gleeful at the prospect of gossip, but she didn’t appear averse to hearing whatever I had to offer.
“It’s been ... a day.” I sipped my coffee. “I’m assuming you’ve heard gossip. What are people saying?”
She gave a slight shrug. “I wouldn’t get worked up about it. This town thrives on gossip. People have been spreading stuff about me for as long as I can remember. You have to learn to deal with it.”
“Nothing happened.” I had no idea why I felt the need to keep reiterating that point. It was more for Hunter’s benefit than mine. “I swear he was just there because I was freaking out.”
“I’m afraid I don’t know the full story,” she said. “What were you freaking out about?”
“Someone was trying to get into my apartment.”
“Really?” Her eyebrows hopped. “That’s freaky. How did they get into the restaurant?”
“Not from inside, from the sliding glass doors on the balcony.”
“Wow. Did you see who it was?”
I shook my head. “I panicked and called Hunter. That’s how this whole mess started.”
Rather than sympathize, she snickered. “Honey, this whole mess started when you were a teenager and saw him shirtless. Some people just get under your skin and you can never shake them.”
“I guess.” I rubbed my forehead. “Have you ever had someone get under your skin?”
“Sure.”
“Anyone good?”
She shook her head. “Just Bobby Buttons.”
I couldn’t hide my surprise. “No way. Are you guys dating?”
“We’re more ... intermittent,” she explained. “I think we’ve dated, like, eight times. I always break up with him