Page 18 of Distant Shores
Andthosewords were so unexpected, I let out a snort.
Liem laughed with that musical quality like his aunt’s and then regarded me with a nod. “Ire. Were you about to hug my aunt, or is this the start of some sort of altercation?”
I glanced at Ari and frowned, realizing I was stillgripping her upper arms. With anyone else, this might’ve been mortifying, but despite his piercings and tattoos, Liem had a guileless quality about him that put me at ease. Ari smiled in amusement as I dropped my arms as if they were on fire.
Smears of paint on Liem’s clothes and skin caught my eye, and I wondered how the art class he’d taught at the Locc today had gotten so messy.
Ari was looking over her nephew, too, her head pain seeming to ease with his presence, a knowing smile blooming on her face. “Something’s happened.”
“It happened,” he whispered mysteriously as his lean body swayed with the wind. “It happened, Aunt Ari.”
Ari gasped and clutched her heart dramatically. “Your beautiful boy?”
Liem nodded, beaming. “He asked me on a date.We’regoing on a date. Today.”
Ari drew Liem into her arms and squeezed him tightly, and I took an automatic step away. I didn’t get far before Liem’s tattooed hand shot out and grabbed my wrist, pulling me into the group hug and engulfing me in the smell of paint and incense.
“You’re part of this, Ire,” Liem said serenely.
Utterly bewildered, I patted both their backs as I muttered, “I really don’t see how.”
I clenched my scraped hands to stop them from acting on their stupid whims.
“This is just lovely,” he sighed. “This whole day.”
He sounded so lovesick that I couldn’t help but smile, but I was still relieved when our weird huddle finally disbanded. Sometimes I worried that one good hug would actually ruin me, and I didn’t have time to be ruined this year.
They stepped away and fell into a conversation aboutthe guy—Cody—and I stuffed the traitors into my pockets. There would be no more patting today.
When Liem mentioned a Vespa, I straight up ignored whatever he said next.
It wasDad’sVespa I’d just anonymously sold to him, facilitated by Jillie.
“I’m going to get Aunt Ari home,” Liem announced eventually.
I looked over at Ari, who was looking unwell again, the adrenaline of Liem’s proclamations seeming to have worn off. I nodded and offered them a weak smile. “I’m happy for you, Liem.”
He grinned like I’d just made his life. “Text me later?”
I narrowed my eyes at him but kept it playful with a little shrug. “We’ll see.”
5
ADAIR
I’d only been inside the maze that was the campus of Live Oak Independent Living for fifteen minutes, and in that time, I’d gotten lost and fallen in the road and nearly killed someone.
My ankle throbbed fiercely as I leaned my weight against the Jeep and let out a groan. The only miracle was that Delly wasn’t here to bear witness to my shame.
But that woman, or… girl, maybe, had definitely seen it.
My glasses flew clean off my face when I fell, so I had no idea how old she was or what she’d even looked like beyond a vague sense. But surely, she was young-ish. This place’s website might’ve boasted about how active some of its senior residents were, but I had a hard time imagining anyone over the age of fifty could’ve gotten away with what she’d done without major injury.
Guilt held me prisoner as I rubbed my aching armpit and remembered that split-second of panic before the world tilted and she just… threw herself off that skateboard. The only thing I knew for sure about thewoman I’d almost killed was that she was strong. As in, I think she might’ve bruised me when she shoved my crutch under my arm.
That, and she smelled like lavender.
I loved that smell.
