Page 35 of Even Beneath the Stars

He nods. "Thanks." Then after a beat of silence, he adds, "Sorry… about the remote. Throwing it earlier."

"It's fine."

Another nod. He looks down at his brother but doesn't say anything. Just strokes a mess of curls off Finn's forehead.

"I could have taken him for a bit," I tell Xavier. "After that phone call… I wouldn't have minded. So you would have had a few minutes to breathe… Before comforting Finn."

His head snaps up. "That phone call was none of your business."

"I know. Itisn'tany of my business. But I was there… And I care about Finn. And I'm just saying, I would have been happy to just sit with him or whatever… To do whatever might help, because it's shit having to hold in your own emotions because you have to help someone else deal with theirs."

He shifts onto his back, throwing his free arm over his face, covering his eyes. "It's shit having someone move into your house," he bites out, "who thinks they're an expert on everything about your life, when they don't know a thing about it."

I breathe out… Nod. "Yeah," I say. "That would probably be shit, too."

I step out of his room and close the door behind me.

Chapter Fourteen

Maggie

"Oh my God,you guys…" I slump like an accordion against the counter at Board and Brews, where Silas and Caroline are busy icing our ‘quickly becoming famous’ cinnamon buns. "I need a month-long vacation." I drop my head into my folded arms resting on the smooth surface. "Or at the very least, a luxury weekend spa retreat."

"So, not a cakewalk during week two at Chateau Rockwell, then?" Silas drizzles an extra dollop on the final bun.

"Gaaaawwwd. You have no idea."

"Well, we're all booked for spa treatments,' Silas deadpans. "But here—" he shoves a blue bowl across the counter at me. "Icing is all yours. Knock yourself out."

I sigh dramatically, tipping it toward me. Then frown. "It's empty, you stinky turnip," I whine.

Silas picks up the spatula, swirls it around the bowl a couple of times, then pushes the sticky handle into my splayed hand. "Wasn't empty, you ungrateful wench."

I lick the icing off the spatula then toss it back in the bowl. So unsatisfying.

"Aw, Maggs." Caroline strokes my hair out of my eyes. "Are you okay?"

Well, at least one of them is sympathetic to my misery and the level of crap I've had to deal with all week.

"I am officially partied out," I declare. "And I haven't even been the one doing the partying."

"Xavier?" Caroline guesses.

"Dingdingding." I lift my head. "He is the poster child for overachieving at the wrong things. Honestly, I have no idea how Broody McBrooderson has the energy to pull himself out of bed for school every morning, Let alone for hockey practice afterwards." Because, as far as I can tell, playing hookie isn't one of Xavier Rockwell's many vices.

"The kid? Finn? How's he doing?" Silas asks. God bless him—finally checking into my misery.

I turn and lean back against the counter. "Finn has totally regressed… His tantrums are worse than ever."

"Well, there's got to be a reason."

Yeah. The phone call with Jacee.

But I can't tell Silas and Caroline that. Xavier may drive me up the wall, but even he doesn't deserve to have his family's toxin-infused laundry aired out for the world to gawk at.

So I go with,"Yeah, I mean… it's not even the way they're acting…" Then I amend, "Well, not fully. It's more the fact that they insist on locking me out. Or at least, Xavier does—and tries to get his brother to. It's like, no matter how patient I am, or how hard I try to respect his relationship with his brother, he still insists on casting me as the enemy. Like, adamantly insists. As if it's his life's mission… and I don't getwhy."

"Maybe you gave him a reason and just didn't realize it," Silas offers. And I can't decide if his bluntness is helpful or insulting.

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