Without another word, I walked out of the bookstore. But I felt his eyes on my back the entire time. Talk about intense.
As soon as I was outside, my shoulders slumped, and I inhaled a lungful of air. A second later, Declan pulled up to the curb. He hopped out and opened my door.
As I climbed into the car, my gaze was drawn to a guy standing across the street. I squinted against the bright sunlight to get a better look, but all I could see with any clarity was his head full of dark hair and sunglasses. He looked an awful lot like Jaxon, but that wasn’t possible.
I glanced over my shoulder. Sure enough, there was Jaxon, standing inside the bookstore, but now he stood near the front window, very clearly watching me. Giving him a small wave, I slid into the backseat and hooked my seat belt.
Declan maneuvered through the city streets and then merged onto the highway. I leaned my head against the seat and closed my eyes. Today had been the longest day of my life, and I couldn’t wait to get home and curl up in bed. The hum of the engine lulled me into peacefulness, the sound reminding me of the waterfall back home.
Sounds of rushing water filled my ears, and the feel of the sun warming my face lifted my spirits. I was back in Keene Valley, sitting on a rock at the base of Roaring Brook Falls. My fingers were intertwined with someone else’s—a guy’s—his hand so much bigger than mine. His thumb rubbed over my knuckles, and I was so incredibly safe. I turned to look at him… And then he was gone.
My eyes snapped open. Who was that guy in my daydream? I hadn’t ever gone to the falls with a guy. Had I? I rubbed my temples, but my memory was fuzzy. I really needed some sleep.
When we arrived home, Declan once again opened my door, and I got out. “Thanks, Declan. See you tomorrow.”
Bounding up the steps, I rushed inside, eager to text Ellie. Now that I had something exciting going on in my life, I was better prepared to deal with her unshakable enthusiasm.
“You’re home late,” Larissa said. She was in the foyer, purse draped over her shoulder.
“Are you going somewhere?” I asked.
“I have to pick up Little Frank from a playdate. Want to ride along?”
“No. I have homework to do. Thanks, though.” I smiled.
It wasn’t too difficult to be nice to her—she made it easy. Too bad she’d settled for someone like my father. Under different circumstances, I could see me and Larissa being close; she was an easy person to like.
I headed for the stairs, then stopped. “Oh, I got a job.”
When I’d texted her earlier, all I’d told her was that I was making a stop at the bookstore on the way home—I hadn’t wanted to tell her about the tutoring job and then have to tell her it didn’t work out.
Her eyes widened, and then she smiled broadly. “You did? Doing what?”
I nodded. “Tutoring.”
I stopped short of saying Jaxon’s name, though I wasn’t positive why. Larissa wouldn’t forbid me from tutoring a guy. At least, I didn’t think she would.
“That’s wonderful, Chloe. I’m happy for you.” She rummaged through her purse and retrieved a pair of sunglasses.
My mind jumped back to the guy in the sunglasses standing across the street from the bookstore, and there was a stab of some unnamed emotion in my chest. I clutched the banister and winced at the unexpected pain radiating through me.
What was that all about? I blew out a slow breath, and the pain disappeared. That was weird.
“Do you know how often you’ll be working?” she asked.
“Mondays and Wednesdays after school. I can still clean the attic and scan pictures, if you want. I could do that on the days I’m not tutoring, and on weekends.” It wasn’t like I had a social life.
“Of course.” She patted my hand and smiled again. “We can talk about it more later, okay?”
“Sure.” With a nod, I turned and raced up to my room.
Kicking the door closed behind me, I dropped my bag to the floor. If I saved everything I made from tutoring, and whatever Larissa and Frank paid me, I should have enough money to go to Keene Valley before my eighteenth birthday. And with any luck, I wouldn’t have to return here. I sank down onto my bed.
I sent Ellie a quick text asking her to call me later. Before I could get my homework out of my bag, there was a knock on my door.
“Yeah?” I said.
“Heard you got a job,” Dad said as he stuck his head into my room.
“Yup. I took your advice about tutoring.”
He nodded, stepped fully into the room, and crossed his arms. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks.” My tone was cautious.
He hadn’t offered me a single word of praise since I’d moved here—at least not without following up with some demand or backhanded comment.
“All right then.” Without another word, he left the room.
Today had been such a strange day. I rubbed my hands over my face and exhaled loudly. I changed into my favorite pair of cotton shorts and a T-shirt; then I settled on my bed to start some of my homework.
My phone dinged, and I snatched it, fully expecting to see Ellie’s name on my screen. My heart stopped when I read Jaxon’s name. Why was he texting me? Had he changed his mind about our arrangement? My hand trembled as I opened his message.
Jaxon: HEY, STUDY BUDDY.
There were a string of emojis—books, school building, and a person wearing glasses. I laughed.
Me: STUDY BUDDY?
Jaxon: I WAS GOING TO GO WITH “HEY BEAUTIFUL” BUT I DON’T WANT YOU TO YELL AT ME AGAIN.
Jaxon: PLEASE DON’T QUIT.
Jaxon: I REALLY DON’T WANT TO FIND ANOTHER TUTOR.
Rolling my eyes, I sank against my pillows and chewed on my bottom lip. I wasn’t really going to quit,
