Page 99 of The Edge of Summer
I chuckle. “I said that Hallie is back.”
“You know Hallie?”
My shoulders tip up in a shrug. “We met a couple hours ago. I like her.” When he doesn’t say anything, I add, “So…she’s back.”
“So she is.”
My voice is gentle when I ask, “What happened, Gabe?” Because you don’t look at your sister’s best friend likethatif something hadn’t happened.
Gabe looks across the room again. His jaw clenches, and then he shakes his head. “Nothing that matters,” he replies. “Not anymore.”
I wince, but thankfully, he doesn’t notice. His eyes are still trained on Hallie. “Gabe…”
He nods, as if he has made a decision about something. “I’m going to find Abbs. Make sure she isn’t getting Sophia into trouble.” He slips away, but tension still coils in his shoulders. And when I look back across the room, I find Hallie watching Gabe as he weaves through the crowd.
I’m still paying attention to them, so I don’t notice anyone coming up behind me until I hear his voice. “Delilah,” he says.
I turn, face to face with Luke for the first time since the beginning of the evening. I offer him a smile, even though nerves dance in my stomach like I’ve downed a whole bottle of something fizzy. “Hey.”
He tucks his hands into his pockets. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Luke sheepish, but right now, that’s exactly how he looks. “Are you having a good time?”
I look around at all the people—this town I’ve come to love—then back to him. “This is amazing,” I say. “Thank you, Luke.”
“It’s nothing,” he insists. “You deserve all of this and more.”
My hand instinctively reaches out, landing on his arm. “It’snotnothing. It means a lot.” I swallow, working up thecourage to voice my next question. “But I have to ask… Why did you do it?”
Why are you making it that much harder to move on?
He removes his hands from his pockets and reaches to take mine. He meets my gaze and then holds it, for a moment that feels infinite. “Because I miss you, pretty girl, and I’m hoping you miss me, too.”
My heart stutters. I’m tempted to pinch myself to make sure this is real. Luke squeezes my hands, and God, yes, this is really real. My brain tries to form words, but my tongue won’t move.Say something, Delilah. Anything.
Before I can, I notice someone pushing through a group of people out of the corner of my eye. When I turn, I realize that it’s Parker. From the expression on his face, I can tell that he’s upset. He slips around the crowd and rushes out the front door.
“I’m sorry,” I say to Luke. My hands slowly slip out of his as I begin walking backwards toward the door. “I have to go find Parker.”
And then I turn around and run after my brother.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-EIGHT
DELILAH
I findParker on the far side of the Bowmans’ property, sitting on a bench that faces their small pond. The sun is making its final descent, and it casts shadows across my brother’s already haunted face. I feel guilty for leaving Luke behind, but my siblings have always taken priority. Whatever he was about to say will just have to wait.
I sit on the opposite side of the bench, giving Parker space, but making it known that I’m there. We sit in silence for a few moments, simply watching as the wind ripples the surface of the pond.
“What are you doing out here?” he eventually asks. “You can’t miss your party.”
“I don’t care about the party, Parker. You and Soph are my priorities.”
His voice is quiet—so much so that I almost don’t hear it. “Are we?”
The pain starts in my chest and spreads through my whole body. I choke on a sob that barrels up my throat. Did Ireally get it that wrong? Have I really been naïve enough to think that I wasn’t causing that much damage?
“The fact that you don’t know that, I— I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I’m sorry they went out that day because of me. I’m sorry my careless decisions wrecked our family. I’msorry. If I had known how little time we had left with them, I would’ve… God, Parker,I’m so sorry.”
