Page 127 of Sweet Ruin

When we eventually arrived at the house, I reached out to Noah and stopped him before he opened the door. “I know you and my father are already discussing how to prove William started the fire, and I want in. I want to know your plans. I want to be a part of them. And if it involves confronting William, I want to be there.”

“Isobel…”

“No, Noah. He tried to kill me. He nearly killed my mom. I deserve to be included in this.”

He ran a hand through his hair, and his jaw tightened as he weighed the determination in my eyes. “I don’t trust you within a hundred miles of that man.”

“I don’t care,” I replied. “I’m not going to be kept in the dark on this.Not again.”

My gaze was like steel as I stared him down. I refused to back down. I had just as much right to go after William as either of them.

Noah released a hard breath. “I don’t like putting you at risk. But you’re right; this is your choice. If you want to be involved, we’ll include you in our plans.”

“Good.” I released a breath, and my exhaustion from the night seemed to hit me all at once. “Okay, let’s get inside and try to get some sleep.”

But despite what I’d said, I wasn’t sure I’d get much sleep that night—if any at all.

* * *

I was a cryingmess when I had to say goodbye to my mom the next day. My parents might have convinced me I should return to Weybridge Academy, but it didn’t make leaving Mom when she was still recovering any easier.

Noah and I didn’t talk much on the flight back to school, and when we arrived on campus, he walked me back to my dorm before we parted ways. I’d thought a lot about the kiss we’d shared the night before. Everything about it had felt so right, and yet I couldn’t bring myself to accept that we should be together. It felt too soon after my breakup with Wes, and the last thing I wanted was to go back to Noah when it was exactly what Wes had feared. There was no easy way forward, and I figured the best thing to do was to give everything time.

Agreeing to be with Noah again felt like agreeing to jump off a cliff without checking my parachute first. I cared too deeply for him. He meant too much. And if we didn’t work out again, I wasn’t sure I’d survive the fall.

I’d also spent a lot of my trip home thinking about William Hastings. After the fire, I was scared about what he was capable of and what he might do next. I found myself worrying about my mom, about Noah and my dad, about everyone who was close to me. William was still searching for a way to force my father and Noah to give him the company back, or punish them for taking it, and I was terrified of finding out how far he might go to achieve either outcome.

It was dinnertime when we returned, and I went to the dining hall to meet up with my friends. When Anna and Cress saw me across the room, the two girls launched from their seats and rushed over to hug me.

The three of us stayed bundled in that hug for nearly a minute, and when they finally let go of me, I was surprised to find their eyes were glistening with tears.

“I can’t believe we nearly lost you, Isobel,” Cress said.

“It’s so good to have you back,” Anna agreed before they hugged me close again.

I smiled at their enthusiasm. “A fire didn’t kill me, but a hug from the two of you just might. I can’t breathe, you guys.”

They laughed and let go of me but seemed reluctant to stray too far. They kept close to my side as we walked over to our usual table. We’d talked a lot over the break, so we’d already covered what had happened back in Rapid Bay. But, even so, they still seemed to be reeling from it.

They had lots of questions for me, and we talked quietly about them as we ate our dinner. When they suddenly fell silent, I looked up to find Wes and Sawyer taking their seats at our table.

I’d had so much on my mind today I’d hardly considered what it would be like to see Wes again for the first time. He gave me a gentle smile, and though he didn’t take his usual seat next to me, he didn’t seem apprehensive about talking to me.

“I’m really happy you’re okay, Isobel,” he said.

“Yeah, Grace, you gave us all a scare,” Sawyer agreed. “We’re all so glad you weren’t hurt.”

“Thanks, you guys.” I gave them both a smile. “How was your break?”

Luckily, the twins took the hint I didn’t want to talk about what I’d been through, and Sawyer launched into a play-by-play of the Montfort family Christmas. I looked down at my plate of food as he talked, but I wasn’t that hungry. I was exhausted and stressed, and food just didn’t hold any appeal to me right now.

I sat back and listened as my friends chatted away, trying to relax as they smiled and laughed about their holidays. I didn’t really feel up to much conversation, so after a few minutes, I excused myself from the table and told them I was heading back to my room. I started toward the exit and was surprised when Wes jogged after me.

“Hey, can I walk you back?” he asked.

“Sure.”

Wes was silent as he wandered by my side. He didn’t speak until we got outside. “I just wanted to check on you. Make sure you’re okay.”

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