Page 297 of Hide and Keep

“No, it’s okay.” Nothing about her says it’s okay.

“You did all you can.”

“Did I?”

“You gave them a way out. It’s up to them to use it.”

“Would you?”

“Would I what?”

“If you were given a way out, would you use it?”

“A way out of…” She’s not talking about…this, right? Us?

“Sea Haven.”

Thank God.

I try to imagine what a way out of Sea Haven might look like. A job offer with a relocation package. A sudden windfall of cash.

One’s much more realistic than the other…if I were looking for jobs elsewhere, which I’m not right now and probably won’t until things have settled.

“Eventually,” I say.

“Like when? After your father’s surgery?”

I wobble my head from side to side, not committing to any one answer, and resume paddling.

Not a moment later, Ever appears beside me. “You’re lying.”

“I didn’t even say anything.”

“You wouldn’t use it.”

“I said eventually. Just not right this minute while we’ve got a lot going on.”

“We?”

I hook my paddle onto Ever’s kayak and pull us to a stop.

“Yeah, we. I know you heard me earlier but I’ll repeat it as many times as it takes for it to sink in. You’re my girlfriend. You live with me now. We live together, meaning we’re in this…” I gesture all around us. “Everything, together. And since fairy godmothers don’t exist, we have to find our own way out of Sea Haven. With both of us working, we should be able to pool our resources together, and in a few years, we’ll look at making it happen.”

“Years? But…you’re miserable here.”

“You know when I’mnotmiserable? When I’m with you.”

“That’s not always true. I was with you earlier when that woman—”

“I don’t know then. Maybe you’re my security blanket, too, because you make everything more bearable. That woman?” I scoff. “I already forgot her.” I did the second I heard Ever in distress. It doesn’t matter that she’s no longer my protectee. Her safety will always take precedence in my mind.

Ever doesn’t look convinced, so I cup the back of her head and bring her face as close to mine without tipping either of our kayaks.

Looking between those azure eyes, I say, “How can I think about anything else when all I’m ever thinking about is you?”

I expect a chuckle, or a kiss, or some kind of reciprocation. What I get is an entire-face frown, from her hairline to her dimpled chin.

“It’s your fault. You ruined me.”

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