Sempre (Forever Series #1)(112)

She stood and stomped away.

“Haven, wait,” Nicholas called out as she walked to the edge of the water. She heard him behind her but didn’t acknowledge him. “Look, I just have a hard time believing he cares about anyone. I don’t like the idea of him taking advantage of your situation.”

She glared at him when he stopped beside her. “You know nothing about my situation! Carmine’s supportive of me, so how dare you judge him when he’s braver than you’ll ever be!”

Nicholas stared out at the lake. “So, uh . . .”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she said. “No more about Carmine.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything about him,” he said. “I was going to ask if you were getting in the water.”

“Oh. No.”

“Why not?”

“I can’t swim.”

“You don’t have to swim to get your feet wet.” Nicholas pulled off his shirt and tossed it onto the sand. He took a few steps into the water, stopping to look at her when it reached his knees. “What are you waiting for?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Trust me.” She let out a sharp, cynical laugh the moment the words came from his lips, and he immediately backtracked. “Okay, don’t trust me. But do you really think I’m stupid enough to let you get hurt? I told you before—you’re nice and all, but I don’t plan to die over you. And I guarantee, if you drown, they’ll kill me.”

Haven stood there for a moment longer before taking a few steps into the lake, her bare feet sinking into the soft earth. She stopped before the water reached her waist.

“So why is six afraid of seven?” Nicholas asked, breaking the tension with a joke.

She held her hands on the surface of the water. “I don’t know. Why?”

“Because seven, eight, nine.” He smirked. “Get it? Seven ate nine.”

She nodded. “I get it.”

“But you didn’t laugh. You never laugh.”

“It wasn’t funny.”

He let out a heavy sigh. “Why did the boy throw his toast out the window?” She shrugged. “He wanted to see the butter fly.”

“See the butter fly?” The joke dawned on her when the words came out. “Oh, like a butterfly.”

“Yes, a butterfly. Why did the guy get fired from the orange juice factory?” Another shrug. “He couldn’t concentrate.”

“Like the orange juice that’s made from concentrate?”

He ran his hands down his face. “You’re hard to crack, you know. I’ve never failed at making someone laugh before. I may as well have asked why the chicken crossed the road.”

“Why did the chicken cross the road?”

“To get to the other side, of course.” She smiled at that one, and he threw up his hands. “Well, damn. You’ve never heard that before?”

“No.”

“You need more comedy in your life. Carmine drained you of a sense of humor.”

Before she could say anything, he disappeared under the water, and a splash flew in her direction. He resurfaced, and she groaned. “That wasn’t funny.”

Nicholas stepped out of the lake and grabbed his shirt. “Apparently nothing I say or do is.”

Haven hesitated but followed behind, not wanting to loiter in the water alone. They strolled over to the lounge chairs. She grabbed a towel while he plopped his wet body down.

“So, you guys really are in love? It’s not bullshit?”

“We are.”

Nicholas grabbed Tess’s purse. Haven watched in shock as he rooted around in it. He pulled out a pen and an old receipt, scribbling something on the back of it.

“Here’s my number,” he said, holding it out to her. “You call me if you ever need anything. I promise to say nothing bad about your boyfriend . . . not a lot, anyway.”

She took it and read the number. 555–0121. “Uh, okay.”

“It’s not a crime to have people to talk to,” he added, standing. “I’ll catch you later, Haven.”

* * *

Once again, at seven in the morning, Haven awoke to Dominic’s insistent pounding. She pulled herself out of bed and trudged over to the door, finding him in the hallway with a grin. “Hey, Twinkle Toes. I’m proud you remembered your pajamas this time.”

The week passed in a repetitious haze, mornings at the diner and afternoons with Dominic and Tess. Dia would occasionally stop by to play a game or watch television, and evenings were Haven’s to do as she pleased. She spent them in the library, reading under the moonlight. She studied relentlessly for the GED, doing practice tests Carmine had printed out for her.

Little cooking or cleaning got done, except for the occasional sandwich at dinner or a load of dishes. She felt bad slacking off on her duties, but whenever she attempted to clean, Dominic pulled her away. She was afraid of what Dr. DeMarco would think, but he didn’t seem to notice.

It was the afternoon of the sixth day when Haven sat in the family room with Dominic, staring at the clock on the wall. She counted the seconds as they ticked by, each one bringing her closer to Carmine’s return.

* * *

“Fuck!”

Pain shot through Carmine’s wrist as his fingers numbed. He shook his hand, trying to get rid of the tingling, as the coach bellowed, “Shake it off, DeMarco!”