Don't Need You - Lilian Monroe Page 0,42

“What do you say about coming to the airfield with me and Finn? I convinced him to give you a free skydive for knocking some sense into my brother.

“Isn’t it a bit cold for that?”

Esme chuckles. “Rain check then. You can do it in the summertime.” She tilts her head, and I know she’s reading my face. Can she see how much I like Kit? Can she see how damaged I am and how much I desperately want to break free from my old life? Can she see that I like it here, and I don’t want to mess it up?

“You want to go see Nadia at the florist shop? We were going to go shopping for a new couch for me when she closes up. You could join.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

Esme rolls her eyes, opening the front closet and tossing me my jacket. “Come on, Serena. I wouldn’t invite you if you were intruding.”

A smile tugs at my lips as excitement curls in the pit of my stomach. My instinct is to say no when people invite me out, because I’m used to being by myself. I’m used to being isolated. Alone. Locked away from prying eyes, waiting for my mean ex-boyfriend to come home.

But that’s the past. Another life in another place.

Now?

I’m free to slip my shoes on and follow Esme out the door.

We walk in comfortable silence on our way into town, and I’m grateful Esme isn’t asking too many questions. She has a quiet strength about her, and I suspect it has to do with the fact she’s grown up with an illness. She’s had to overcome a lot, and she doesn’t waste words when they aren’t needed.

But when we get to the florist shop on Main Street, Nadia is the exact opposite. Her curly red hair is tied up in a high ponytail with a few stray strands loose around her face. Her cheeks are bright pink and eyes glimmering. She gives us a big smile, welcoming us into the shop. My eyes slide to the man leaning on the counter, and I recognize Racer from the bar.

His eyes slide down the length of my body and back up again, a smirk pulling the corner of his lips.

“Esme!” Nadia exclaims. “And Serena!”

“Thought you’d need some company today, but apparently not.” Esme grins, jerking her chin at Racer. He rubs his chin with his palm, shrugging.

Nadia gives me a hug and then moves to Esme, all while asking me a thousand and one questions about my first few days in Woodvale. Behind us, the door jingles and a man walks in. I think I saw him working behind the bar the other night.

“Jackson.” Nadia smiles. “You’re here to come help Esme pick out a couch?”

“I’m here to save her from her own terrible taste.” He grins, arching a finely groomed eyebrow at Esme. Esme scoffs, rolling her eyes. His lips purse, and I notice he’s wearing a touch of highlighter on the high points of his cheeks. The man is wearing more makeup than I am and looking better than I ever could. I might need to ask him for tips.

Then, Racer pipes in, leaning toward me. “What about you and Kit?”

“What do you mean, me and Kit?” My heart thumps.

Esme snorts. “She’s in denial.”

“Nothing’s going on between us.”

“Uh-huh,” Racer says, eyebrows arched. “Didn’t look like that the other night at the bar.”

I shake my head. “We’re just friends.”

“I’ve heard this story before,” Jackson says, giving Nadia a knowing glance. I stare at them all one by one, seeing nothing but the truth reflected back at me.

Kit and I are nowhere near just friends.

“Where do you get that type of friend? Because I’d like one,” Racer says, laughing. Nadia swats his arm, rolling her eyes.

Nadia leans against the counter, flicking her eyes between me, Jackson, Esme, and Racer. She grins. “Kit likes you. You should go for it.”

“We’re only friends,” I repeat. “I’m trying to start fresh.”

“I get that,” Esme says. She steers the conversation away from me and Kit and toward her new couch, and I say a silent thank you. It’s like she knew I was getting uncomfortable and took the spotlight off me.

Still, their words have an effect on me. I know Kit feels something for me. Whether it’s just lust or something more, I’m not sure.

But what if my new friends are right? What if a fresh start could include Kit?

Every day that passes while I’m away from Angelo, away