Things We Never Said (Hart's Boardwalk #3) - Samantha Young Page 0,33

facing everyone, had been difficult, but I’d done it. And I was still breathing.

It occurred to me that maybe clearing the air with my mother might put to rest some very persistent demons from the past.

“I’m not going to stop you,” Darragh said, sighing, “but I am noting my concern.”

“Noted.” I grinned at him. “God, it’s good to have you back, big bro.”

He slid his arm around my shoulders and walked me back out into the living room.

“Aunt Dahlia, just another level, I promise!” Leo shouted over at me.

“Aunt Dahlia, I drew you,” Levi said quietly, coming toward his dad and me.

I sank into my brother’s side, feeling so goddamn full I almost wanted to cry with the joy of it.

The next evening I found myself sitting at the dining table in the large, open-plan living space of my sister’s gorgeous Bunker Hill apartment.

She must make serious money.

Seriously.

Wow.

I was so proud of her.

My effusive compliments on the apartment and her obvious success had seemed to go a long way to mollifying Davina’s girlfriend, Astrid. When I’d first appeared at the apartment, she’d been quietly and intensely studying me, not giving much away.

Dad was working so he couldn’t serve as a buffer.

This, and Astrid’s cool appraisal, was making me jumpy, and I hated that feeling.

Silence fell over the table as we sat to eat. “Well, this isn’t at all awkward.”

Davina snorted. “You’re making it awkward.”

“How am I making it awkward?” I argued.

“Is it because we’re gay?” Astrid raised an eyebrow at me.

I made a face, no longer caring about tiptoeing around her, after such an absurd question. “My sister could tell me she was thinking of transitioning into an orangutan and it wouldn’t make me love her any less.”

“Maybe more,” Davina mused. “Orangutans are cute.”

“Aren’t they?” I leaned across the table. “The way they hug each other is so adorable. It’s like a full-bodied ‘I love you’ hug. It’s so open and cute. I wish people were like that.”

“Seriously?” Astrid’s eyes darted between Davina and me.

“Asking her if it’s because we’re gay was stupid.” Davina shrugged.

Her girlfriend glared. “Well, not all of your family have been accepting.”

My sister frowned at her plate. “I’m aware.”

Not wanting an argument to break out between them, I changed the subject. “Have you thought about getting married? Because I make jewelry and I could make the rings. Something perfect and unique.”

My big sister snorted. “You haven’t changed. Still saying things you shouldn’t say. What if marriage is a sore topic for Astrid and me?”

“Is it?”

“No,” Astrid answered. “We’ve thought about it.”

I grinned, happy for my sister. “Really?”

“Ugh,” Astrid huffed, shooting my sister a look. “You were right. That dimple gets her out of everything. She’s adorable.” She turned back to me. “Annoyingly adorable.”

I grinned harder as my sister laughed under her breath. “I’ve been told this. It’s a problem, I know.”

They laughed and the awkwardness melted.

As we ate, Astrid told me about her job as a publicist for Candlelight Press, a book publisher in Allston. Davina tried to explain her job for the hundredth time, but I couldn’t get my head around it. Thankfully, neither could Astrid. And they asked about Hartwell, even though Davina seemed tentative.

“It’s beautiful.” I missed it. I’d already told Davina about it the other night, so I talked more about my friends. “Bailey got engaged to Vaughn, so that’s been the latest excitement. Oh, and we sporadically have trouble from a family called the Devlins. Ian Devlin, the dad, he owns a hotel, some other businesses in town, the fun park, and he’s a shady character, to say the least. He’s been trying to buy property on the boardwalk for years and has these crass plans to turn it into a five-star resort that a tiny percentage of the population could afford to visit. His son broke into Bailey’s inn and attacked her, trying to find confidential information he could use against her.”

Davina and Astrid stared wide-eyed at me.

“What?”

“It sounds like the setting to my favorite soap opera,” Astrid said.

I laughed. “It’s not as dramatic as it sounds. That family is a menace. Every town has one.”

Davina looked at her half-empty plate. “You’re really going back there, aren’t you?”

“I … I live there. I love it there. But I won’t leave again. You and Astrid could come vacation there in the summer, and I’ll be back. I promise. Birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas … whenever you want me, I’ll come back.”

My sister looked up, tears in her eyes. Astrid grabbed her hand tightly.

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