Page 69 of Collateral Damage
An old friend, huh?
I don’t know how to feel about her using that term for me.
We walk away, and I mutter to her under my breath, “What the hell kind of name is Rake? Is his brother named Shovel, and his sister named Backhoe?”
The Sybil I knew would laugh and elbow me in the ribs, but this Sybil does neither. Instead, she grabs my arm and marches me to the sidewalk, her nails digging into my bicep like cat claws.
“I never knew you liked to scratch,” I tease when we stop, smirking at where she’s left little indents on my skin.
“Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“Don’t treat me like some girl you met at a bar. You wanted to talk to me, so tell me what’s on your mind.”
“I don’t think you want me to do that.”
“Whatever. You guys don’t own Nantucket, so don’t act like we can’t be here. Yes, we’re building our house. So what?”
I lean in, eyes narrowing. “I haven’t heard from you in seven months, and this is how I find out your family is building here? Don’t you think you could’ve at least given us a heads up? Not even a text?”
“I don’t owe you an explanation.”
I laugh. “You guys could have built your fucking beach house on some other island. You know how much Nantucket means to my family.”
Our beach house was my mother’s favorite place in the world. She even made sure one day it’d be mine and Ethan’s. It’s trusted to us.
Despite all the shit that has happened in our lives, Ethan and I agree; we’ll never get rid of the Nantucket house.
I expect Sybil’s face to soften, but it doesn’t.
She points behind her. “This is our property, and your property is your property. They’re on opposite sides of the island, and we don’t have to associate with each other. How about this for an idea? If you see me, walk the other way, and I’ll do the same.”
I wince. “Where did my best friend go?”
Hurt passes through her eyes, but it’s gone as quickly as it appeared. “This is the way it has to be.”
“Is it?”
She nods. “Don’t tell Ethan about any of this. He doesn’t need to know about the house until it’s done. And for fuck’s sake, don’t tell your dad unless you want more drama between our parents.”
“Yourparents,” I snap. “I only have one parent left, remember?”
She shakes her head, but her face is draining of color. “You know what I mean.”
Damn it.
She’s dead serious right now. She wantsnothing to do with me.
“Wow,” I deadpan. “So that’s it, huh? We’re not friends anymore?”
So many things flash in her eyes at once—heat and hurt, and maybe even regret, but she pushes them all aside.
“Yup. That’s it. Please leave.”
I let out a dark chuckle to hide the pain. She drew the line in the sand and there’s no crossing it, but I don’t know if I can accept it.
“What happened to the girl I knew and loved?” I ask coldly.
