Page 62 of When I Fall In Love

“Did you sleep with him? And stay next door?”

I look at him again, just as Kyle’s gaze sweeps over the sparklingly clean kitchen that shows no signs of anyone living here.

“Looks like a nice place Hunter has. It’s definitely a step up. Apparently Bob the Bum gets to stay in this cottage over the winter months. So, don’t outstay your welcome and keep him on the streets.”

Bob? I’m keeping this cottage away from Bob? And what with the weather on Friday night… I’m trembling now, as if the lake’s cold water has been pumped into my veins. “Why are you really here, Kyle?”

“Fuck, to be honest, I don’t know. But now that I’m here, I can talk some sense into your head. You have a life in San Francisco, Beth.” He waves his hands around in the air as if it would make me understand better, then closes his thumb and forefinger to half an inch of each other. “You’re this close to making partner at your firm. To freaking financial independence. You’ll never have to look anybody in the eye for money—least of all a man. You’ll have a job with status. A place of your own that nobody can evict you from. Why come here and toss it away on some small town where Mom got trashed? Where we got trashed. You know how we lived, how she was forced to save face every day. How she got treated by the asshole that fathered us! I can’t fathom why you would want anything to do with this place or its people.”

“You’re not answering my question,” I bite back, the truth of his words stabbing me with the hundred reasons why neither of us have been back to Ashleigh Lake in all these years.

“Beth, you do understand that none of this is about you? They don’t care. He doesn’t care. Fuck knows—where was Hunter Logan thirteen years ago when he promised to come to Stanford? What has changed? Whatever happened between you two this week, Beth—and who am I to judge you, after Brad and the way he hurt you—but it’s not about you.” He looks as if he wants to shake me, as if his harsh words aren’t hitting the right spots yet and he’ll hit me with them until I’m down and out. “It’s about Collingwood Farm, and you’d be an idiot to believe anything to the contrary.”

I’ve turned into stone. Nothing has changed. Everything that’s happened in the past few hours has just shown me that I’m still the outsider. That Kyle repeats the same rationale that bothered me that night with Hunter when he first let me taste his ice cream, just goes to show how blinded I’ve become in Hunter’s presence.

Kyle gives an exasperated sigh and takes hold of my shoulders, as if to make sure I’m still alive.

“I’m here to make sure you don’t mess this up for us and that nobody is going to use your good nature to get what they want.” I stare up at him and his gaze grows cold like steel. “And I’m here to take you home. Now go pack your bags and we’ll go. I’m not sleeping in a hole like this ever again if I can help it. The place reeks of beggars and losers and we’ve both moved on.”

31

HUNTER

The chase to Montpelier leaves me with an adrenaline rush as I stride into the hospital, Rachel ahead of me and leading the way. We go down several long corridors to finally come to the ICU waiting room.

“They only allow two people at a time and Raiden is inside with Mom,” Rachel whispers as we approach the reception desk. “And visiting hours will be over soon.”

A nurse glances up from where she’s typing away on a keyboard. Her gaze jumps from Rachel to me.

“This is Hunter Logan,” Rachel says. “He’s the eldest brother.”

The nurse nods. “I can give you five minutes,” she says. “Max.”

I sanitize and follow the nurse quietly into the ward’s foyer where she signals for me to wait. I glance through the glass window which gives a limited view into the ward. Not all the beds are occupied and in a far corner, May is sitting next to Bill’s bed, clutching his hand. Raiden is holding May’s other hand, too big for the plastic chair he’s perched on. He looks as if he’s been through a grinder.

Bill seems to be asleep. He’s pale with tubes everywhere, machines beeping. Two ICU nurses are monitoring patients on the other side of the ward.

The nurse signals to Raiden and he gets up and comes to the exit. Once he’s out of the ward he pulls me close. “Thank God you’re here.” He lets go with a squeeze and the nurse nods for me to come inside.

“Hunny,” May whispers as I pad up to her. Her fear is so raw in her eyes, I almost stumble but I’m next to her in seconds. She stands and I pull her into a hug. “He’s sleeping?”

“Yes. The shock—” We hold on to each other, desperate, and the reality of the situation hits me hard. This could have been it. Sobs ripple through May’s body, and I feel every single one of them.

“Is he going to be okay?” My voice catches and I have to swallow hard as I pull away to look into her eyes.

“They got to him in time. Raiden—” She bites back a sob. “Who knows where we’d be if Raiden hadn’t been there. He knew just what to do as someone had a heart attack on a building site earlier this year.”

“Bless Raiden,” I murmur. My brother came back to claim his place in Ashleigh Lake just in time. “Do we know how bad it is?’

“He needs a triple bypass. We’ll know more over the next couple of days.” May reaches for Bill’s hand again. “The cardiologist is on his way.”

May squeezes Bill’s hand and this time he stirs.

“Hunny is here, Bill,” May whispers.

For all that Bill is my dad in every possible way, I’ve never managed to call him that. This is our first warning bell, and for a moment I close my eyes, being grateful. Whatever the outcome proves to be, we’ve been spared the worst. For now.

Bill opens his eyes and searches for May. She gives him a woebegone smile. “Are they all here now?” he asks.

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