quote, ‘nobody cares what some dead dude thinks about life.’ Spoiler alert, that dead dude was Shakespeare.”
“Oh God, I remember that. Mr. Langly was pissed.” Maddy slapped her thigh, laughing. “Typical Trent. He’d say anything to get a rise out of a teacher.”
Cora cringed but couldn’t help laughing, imagining Trent doing exactly that. It was so him. “I imagine Shakespeare is turning over in his grave at being called a dude.”
“Well, I’m impressed.” Skye sat up and brushed an ant off her leg. “He must be even more smitten than I first thought.”
“Than you first thought?” The question popped out before she had adequate time to consider the consequences of encouraging this conversation.
“Skye called it that first week, when Trent brought you to cricket,” Maddy said.
“I sure did. I said I hadn’t seen Trent taken by a woman like that in quite some time. Probably not since…” She made a noise of disgust. “Rochelle.”
“His ex?” Even thinking about his ex—about the photo that was like looking into a mirror—made her stomach churn.
“Yeah. I never liked her, to be honest. Even Maddy wasn’t a fan, and this little marshmallow likes everyone.”
Maddy made an indignant squeak. “I do not like everyone. I have discerning taste, thank you very much.”
Cora stifled a laugh. Despite Maddy’s uber-cool appearance, she totally was a marshmallow. Which was exactly what Cora liked about her.
“Oh yeah?” Skye teased. “Who don’t you like?”
“Well…I had a rude customer the other day. I didn’t like him very much.” Maddy wrinkled her nose, and her piercing winked in the sun. “But he did seem like he was having a rough day, so maybe he’s not normally like that. Oh, and I never liked that dog that Greg used to have. He growled at me once.”
“Now you’re reaching.” Skye caught Cora’s eye and shook her head. “100 percent marshmallow.”
Maddy made a hmph sound. “Excuse me for being nice.”
“Anyway, I would like to state for the record that I was correct. Trent does have a crush on Cora.” Skye grinned. “Clearly he has a type. You look exactly like his ex, you know.”
Maddy swiped at Skye and rolled her eyes. “You’re unbelievable.”
“What?” She shrugged. “It’s true.”
“Please excuse my friend, Cora. She’s got a big mouth.” Maddy rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest. “And you’re nothing like Rochelle, so it doesn’t mean a thing.”
“I saw a photo of her,” Cora admitted. “It was a little weird, but he said that had nothing to do with…”
Shit. Two pairs of hawk eyes were trained intently on her. Now she’d done it. Cora and Trent hadn’t even set any boundaries about what they were going to tell people, if anything. Likely he’d want to keep it a secret…at least she thought he would. And she wanted to keep it a secret…didn’t she?
She knew one thing for certain—she didn’t want it to get back to Liv without Cora being the one to tell her.
“Go on,” Skye said.
“Nothing to do with…” Dammit. Her brain was like a spinning top, going round and round and round without any signs of stopping. “Uh…”
“Oh my God, you’re fucking him.”
“Skye! Bloody hell, you’re so blunt.” Maddy snorted. “And can you not say stuff like that with his family around? Geez.”
Skye chuckled. “Don’t think you’re getting out of this, Cora. The gossip gods demand their sacrifice.”
“You don’t have to tell us anything,” Maddy said to Cora, then she turned to Skye. “And you, you’re as subtle as a sledgehammer and nosier than my grandmother.”
“I like to think of myself more as a pickaxe, thank you very much. Precise and lethal.” Skye sniffed. “And don’t you dare say a word against your grandmother—that woman is a national treasure.”
The friendly, affectionate banter tugged on something deep in Cora’s chest. How was this town so perfect? People seemed to thrive here, to build lasting relationships and show genuine care toward one another. They were relaxed and happy and able to enjoy the time they had on this earth.
You’re romanticizing this place, like how people romanticize Manhattan.
It was true. Outsiders thought her city was a wonderland, a magical place of New Year’s wishes and Christmas miracles and meet-cutes on every corner. But she knew the city to be a cold, silver landscape of shiny, beautiful things and locked doors. Of secrets and betrayals.
But what could Cora do about that? Manhattan was her home. Her family was there. Even if she’d had enough of her mother’s drama, she still loved her father and wanted a relationship