Page 46 of Only Some Stars Fall

“It’s not funny! I really have enjoyed spending time with him, and now, I feel like a jerk for leading him on.” The shame that I might be responsible for messing with someone else’s heart makes me cringe.

“Everly Burke, heartbreaker extraordinaire! What are we going to do with you?”

“Ugh!” I throw my hands up and start jogging back toward the house, leaving Alex laughing behind me. We have a ton of cleaning to do, and I desperately want to escape this conversation and the mess I have made for myself. Maybe cleaning up literal trash will help me sort out all the chaos that is currently clouding my head.

Alex jogs up next to me, draping her arms around my shoulders from behind. She puts her mouth close to my ear as we try not to tangle our feet together. “I promise, Ev, it will be okay, and we will figure it all out. Just remember, it’s okay to go after what you want. You deserve it.”

Deep down, I know she’s right, but am I ready to fall on my face again?

I thoughtthe house was a mess this morning, but that was an understatement—it’s a complete disaster. So far, I have done five loads of laundry and used an entire bottle of bleach, trying to get the white couch covers pristine again. It took us over two hours on our hands and knees to scrub every floor, and don’t even get me started on the bathrooms. I have cleaned some pretty gross cabins this summer, but this is next level.What were people doing in these bathrooms?

Currently, we are out in the yard picking up cigarette butts and the burnt remnants of joints out of the grass and crushed stone around the firepit, as well as checking all the bushes for rogue beer cans and Solo cups.

Alex sits up on her knees, stretching her back out. “I am exhausted. Why did you let me think this was a good idea anyway?” She smirks at me.

I glare at her as I reach down to collect someone’s shirt from the hostas. “Please tell me this is the only party we are hosting? I only like to clean if I am getting paid for it.”

Alex laughs. “Cross my heart.” I add the hand gesture to prove it. “Plus, my dad comes home tomorrow, and he did mention not having much more travel until after we leave. I think he actually might want to spend some time with me.” Faking a surprised face.

“Or maybe he just wants us to complete the list of ‘side jobs’ he left us that we promised we would do.” Alex’s dad agreed to help us make up the difference in pay from choosing to work up here this summer instead of the city. But Mr. Croft isn’t just handing out cash. Alex and I have a list of things we need to do, and so far, other than keeping the lawn mowed and the house clean, we haven’t started on any of the big-ticket items.

“Yeah, we should probably start in on painting that fence tomorrow after your morning shift, huh?” Alex says with about as much enthusiasm as someone walking into a dentist’s office.

With fifteen minutes to spare before Alex’s dinner shift starts, we finally have the house looking, well, mostly, back to how it did before last night. One lampshade has been turned so the dent from a beer pong ball is not noticeable, and the living room rug has been moved just a few extra inches to cover a stain that isn’t coming out no matter what we do to it. We aren’t stupid enough to believe Alex’s dad won’t find the evidence, but we are hoping maybe he doesn’t until we are a good six or more hours south at the end of the month. We stand in the middle of the living room, surveying our hard work.

“Not bad, Evie Baby.” We look at each other and high-five. I can already feel myself missing Alex. The summer air is starting to shift, and I know this little bubble of time together is almost over, but I shake it off. It’s not over yet.

I rideto the main lodge with Alex. After a day of cleaning, a burger at the bar sounds spectacular, plus Hux’s comment about maybe seeing me this evening has been in the back of my mind. I would be lying if I wasn’t anxious to see him again. It hasn’t even been twelve hours, and I can already feel the ache of his absence.

I sit in my usual spot at the bar, which is still quiet. Most guests have gone to their cabins to shower or maybe get a little nap in before dinnertime. Elle is the only one working at the moment.

“Hey! I was hoping you’d come keep me company tonight,” she says as she polishes the glasses that have just come out of thedishwasher. I lean over the bar, grab the clean silverware and a stack of clean cloth napkins, and begin rolling them.

“After last night, red meat and grease are calling my name. Plus, after being here for nearly two months, my movie and book collection is dwindling down.”

“Huh… that’s not what I heard you’ve been doing with all your free time.” She wiggles her eyebrows suggestively at me.

Immediately, my face heats, a sensation I can only imagine is what hot lava feels like creeping up my legs. Has Hux already told the whole resort about our morning? Or worse, did someone see us? Am I now the laughingstock of Anderson’s?

Elle recognizes the sheer panic that has quickly consumed my body. “I just mean I see you out and about with Nick a good amount, cruising about on that fancy boat of his.” She watches me carefully.

I take a breath, letting my blood pressure come back down. I lick away the salty beads of sweat that seem to instantly form on my upper lip.

“Oh, um, yeah, he’s a nice guy. I’ve enjoyed getting to know him better.” I look over my shoulder as I hear the screen door open and laughter coming from the other side.

For the second time within two minutes, my heart stops again. This time, it is the sight of Ashlee walking in, dressed in the shortest tennis skirt ever made, wearing a string of pearls around her neck and her gorgeous drop-dead smile. A smile that is specifically aimed at the man holding the door for her, the same light, carefree grin plastered on his face as well.

All the doubt, all the fear, all the insecurities I had started to shed today, walk right in with them. Hux’s eyes meet mine, and then something unexpected happens. The smile on his face grows bigger. He places his hand on Ashlee’s shoulder, squeezing it briefly before crossing the lounge and coming straightup to me.

There’s no pause or hesitation when his head dips down with his lips meeting mine. I can taste the grin as he deepens the kiss, pulling back right before the PDA becomes uncomfortable for all witnessing.

“I was hoping you would keep me company tonight.”

“Well, actually, I am here to keep Elle company, but you can hang with us too if you want.” I glance over at Elle, who stands frozen, jaw hanging open, with the glass she was polishing still in hand but the rag now lying at her feet.

“What’s with you?” Hux sarcastically asks her.

“I… I…” Color returns to her face, and she laughs, “Oh, boy, you both have so much explaining to do.” She points at both of us like we are going to be sent to detention. Thankfully, we are saved from interrogation when a young couple takes their seats a few stools down.

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