“Was your brother telling me the truth? Do we know each other?” I asked.
My breaths were sharp, each word harder to speak than the last. While I was desperate for the truth, I wasn’t really sure I wanted the answers. What if I did know Trent? What if I had forgotten him? If I had, then that had to mean something was wrong with me, because what normal, healthy teenage girl just forgot things like this?
“Are you happy here, Chloe? Happier than you were in New York, I mean.”
His question stunned me, and I wracked my brain trying to remember if I’d ever told him I’d moved here from New York. Is that where I knew him from? Had I met him in Keene Valley?
“Um, yeah, I guess. I mean, at first it sucked big time, and I hated everything about being here. But it’s getting a little easier being here.” I smiled faintly.
Then it hit me that he once again avoided my question. He seemed to be good at doing that, but I wasn’t going to let him off the hook so easily.
“What do you like about living here?” he asked before I could question him further.
“I don’t know. I really don’t like school all that much.” I paused. “My stepmom is pretty cool. Oh, and my baby brother. He’s so cute.”
Trent’s head whipped around so fast I swore I got whiplash from it. “You have a baby brother?”
I nodded. “Little Frank. Not very original, but yeah. He’s two.” I put my seat upright and rummaged around in my bag for my cell phone. When I found it, I turned it on. “Here, I have a picture.” I scrolled through my gallery until I found the picture of me and Little Frank that Larissa had insisted on taking.
Trent righted his seat, too, and took my phone. His brows furrowed slightly, and his eyes darkened. “He’s cute.” He handed the phone back.
“Told ya.” I ignored the notifications on my phone and shoved it back into my bag.
“You look really happy in that photo.”
“That was a good day. Probably the first really good day I’d had after moving here.” I smiled at the memory.
It hadn’t been a particularly special day. The four of us had been at home, lounging in the family room when Little Frank climbed onto my lap and pressed his chubby hands against my cheeks. I’d laughed and removed his hands. That’s when Larissa had snapped the picture—both me and Little Frank were laughing.
Without another word, Trent started the car and pulled onto the highway. Disappointment was a heavy weight on my shoulders. Had I said something to upset him?
Whatever disappointment I had quickly morphed into panic. I couldn’t let him take him home yet. I still hadn’t gotten any real answers from him about anything. I shifted in my seat, my heart beating hard against my ribs.
“You never answered my questions,” I said. “Do I know you? If so, how? When and where did we meet? Why don’t I remember you? Or Jaxon? And why is he pretending to need a tutor? What game are you two playing with me?” The questions rushed out of me on a large whoosh of breath.
“It doesn’t matter,” he said so softly I almost didn’t hear him. “Not anymore.”
“What does that mean?” I asked, my gaze momentarily leaving him to take in my surroundings. We were almost back to my father’s house. Impatience thickened in my veins.
“It doesn’t mean anything,” he said with a heavy sigh. “Not anymore.”
I let out a groan of frustration. “If you and Jaxon aren’t willing to tell me anything, why did you even show up in my life? I was doing okay without the two of you barging in and messing things up.” I sat back and crossed my arms.
“I know,” he said with a frown. “I’m sorry. We never should’ve come here.”
“Then why did you?” I asked, but he didn’t bother to answer me.
The rest of the drive to my dad’s house was made in utter silence, and with each passing mile, my dread intensified. Trent stopped along the side of the road rather than into the unnecessarily long driveway. He shifted into park but didn’t turn off the car.
“You going to make me walk up to the house?” I teased, but it was a weak—and failed—attempt at lightening the mood.
“No. I just…” He sighed heavily. “I’m glad you’re happy, Chloe. You deserve to be. And no matter what’s been happening, you’re not crazy.” He pinned me with a pleading look. “Don’t ever doubt that, okay?”
“Okay,” I said, drawing out the word.
That was probably the closest thing to an admission I was ever going to get from him, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I knew him, yet, I didn’t. Not really. Talk about confusing.
He turned into the driveway and slowed to a stop in front of the house. I reached for the door and then hesitated. I didn’t want to get out of his car, but I also didn’t want to stay. Indecision warred inside of me. Reluctantly, I got out of the car and swung the door shut.
A second later, the window eased down, and Trent leaned across the console. “Chloe?”
“Yeah?” There was way too much hope and expectation in my voice, and I wanted to kick myself.
“Promise me something?” he said.
“What?” I leaned down so I could see him through the window.
“Be careful. And trust your instincts, okay?”
I blinked, confused. That was a really bizarre thing to say. “Um, yeah, sure.”
“Promise me, Chloe.”
“I promise.”
He smiled, but it wasn’t the smile that made my knees weak. It was sad, and that clutched at my heart.
“Thank you,” he said.
And then he sped away, leaving me to stare after him. Only when his car was out of sight did I go inside.
“Who was that?”
I yelped with surprise and put my
