Page 51 of The Comeback Summer

I scowl. Normally, I’m a very polite person—but Josh Jacobson brings out the worst in me. Or the best, if you look at it in terms of the lengths I’m willing to go to protect my sister.

Speaking of...

“I don’t like that you’re back,” I tell him. “In this town. Or in my sister’s life.”

“I figured as much,” Josh says, his voice even.

“But you’re still here, trying to weasel your way back into her life.” I hate the way he’s looking down at me, as if he’s bored by this conversation, so I shift my gaze back toward the path, where bikers and runners and joggers are all speeding past us.

“Hannah’s a grown woman,” Josh says. “It’s her choice—it should have always been her choice.”

I bite my lip to hold back all the things I want to say to him. To remind him that he’s the one who left her, the one who sent my sister into a tailspin of heartbreak and depression.

“Why can’t you leave her alone? I’m sure there’s no shortage of women who’d leap at a chance to be used and discarded by you. Just move on, Josh.”

He opens his mouth like he’s about to fire back at me. But then he stops, swallows, and takes a step back, kicking at a pebble in the path. “It’s interesting...”

“What?” I snap.

“That Hannah is the person I hurt, but you’re the one who’s still angry.”

“Damn right I’m still angry,” I say, my voice sharp. “You were off living your best life in Australia while Hannah was falling apart. You treated her like she was disposable—”

“I know. Believe me, I know—I’ve had five years to reflect on how I treated Hannah, and I’m doing my best to make it right.” He looks down at me, his eyes piercing. “Are you?”

I shake my head. This isn’t about me. “Do you have any idea what you did to her?”

As I say the words, I’m transported back to those days, to that feeling of utter helplessness as I watched my baby sister fall apart. “I’ll never forgive you for that. Never.”

My voice cracks on the last word, and my eyes unexpectedly well with tears. I turn away so Josh doesn’t see any sign of weakness.

“I don’t blame you,” he says quietly, and when I look up at him, I swear I see tears in his eyes, too. “I probably wouldn’t forgive me, either.”

For a split second, something inside me shifts—if this was a romance novel, I’d probably be rooting for him now; I’ve always been a sucker for a repentant hero. But this is real life, and no amount of repentance will erase what he did to Hannah.

“Do you care about her?” I ask, looking up at him from my bench. “Do you want her to be happy?”

“Of course. Believe it or not, that’s something we have in common.”

“Then promise me you’ll leave her alone.” My voice wavers again, and Josh’s face softens. Damn him for being sympathetic.

“I can’t promise you that,” he says. “But I can promise you that I’ll leave any decisions about me and Hannah completely in her hands. Okay?”

My body goes rigid; I don’t like this. At all.

But what can I do? I can’t physically prevent him from spending time with Hannah. At least if he leaves it up to her, I can help her see the situation more clearly. And I still have ten more chances to set her up with a guy who will make her forget all about Josh Jacobson.

“Fine,” I say, folding my arms. “Leave it up to Hannah.”

“Fine.” He nods once, and we both go quiet. He puts his hands on his hips and turns away from me, staring out at the horizon. I wonder if he wishes he could be out on the water instead of here with me. I remember his family used to have a sailboat—one of his few redeeming qualities.

I close my eyes and focus on the warmth of the sun beating down on me, while the lake breeze brushes against my damp skin. A cacophony of sounds swell in harmony with the beating of my heart (which is slightly less erratic). The hum of traffic coming from Lakeshore Drive on one side, the distant crashing of waves on the other.

“Feeling better?” Josh asks, breaking the silence. “Ready to keep going?”

I look at him, then at the long path ahead. I think I’ve worked out more than enough for today.

“You go ahead,” I tell him. “I’m going to catch a ride home.”

---