The Summer Deal (Wildstone #5)(15)

Then the front door slammed.

Eli looked at Kinsey. “Go get her.”

Kinsey blew out a sigh. “Why?”

“You’ve talked about finding her. When I saw her at the hospital, it felt like more than a coincidence. It felt like fate.”

Kinsey scoffed through an aching heart, because she only wished it could be that easy. “You know I don’t believe in fate. And even if I did, fate’s a bitch.”

“Brynn would be the perfect roommate for you,” he said quietly.

“Except she hates me.”

“Who’s fault is that?”

Kinsey looked away. “You can’t really believe that my long-lost sister, who doesn’t even know she’s my sister, is the perfect roommate for me. Did you hit your head on your surfboard again?”

“Hey, that happened one time. And I was fine.”

“You gave yourself a concussion.”

Eli waited until she turned back to him. “If you don’t want her in your life,” he said, “just say so.”

She closed her eyes, because she couldn’t say that. It’d be a lie.

“Just talk to her, Kins. You need to.”

He was right, of course. He almost always was. Not that that fact made it any easier to take. And she wanted to tell Brynn. She did. But it wouldn’t be easy. She tended to scare people away, and she’d rather have the possibility of a relationship in front of her than a failure behind her.

Eli’s irritated expression suddenly vanished, and he gave her a very small smile.

“What? What do you possibly have to be smiling about right now?” she demanded to know.

“You’re flushed. You’re biting your lower lip, which you do whenever you’re feeling hopeful but don’t want anyone to know it. I haven’t seen you this excited about anything in years.”

Damn. She didn’t like being so transparent. But maybe deep, deep, deep down she was a little excited. And also very scared. “That’s not true,” she said. “Max cooked homemade brownies last week. That was the most excited I’ve been in years.”

“Kinsey.” His voice was quiet. Serious. “Admit it. This feels right.”

Dammit. It did. And she hated that it did. “I don’t know her anymore—it’s been years.”

“Kids that you get to know when you’re young . . . no one will ever know you in that same way,” he said. “This relationship with her, good or bad, it’s got a built-in history to it that most don’t ever get to have. She knows you at a core level.”

Yeah, and that was what Kinsey was afraid of. It’s not like she’d ever shown Brynn her kind side. Not once. If she was Brynn, she’d hate her, and for good reason. “This is ridiculous. She’s already gone.”

“Who’s fault is that? Maybe she’ll come back. If she does, will you admit then that it was meant to be?”

“Sure,” Kinsey said, knowing hell would freeze over before Brynn would come back.

The front door opened.

Eli slid a triumphant look at Kinsey.

“Don’t get excited,” Brynn yelled. “I’m only back because I left my purse in the foyer.”

“Brynn,” Eli said, eyes on Kinsey. “Wait.”

“Are you kidding me? If you two argue this loud, I sure as hell don’t want to be living here and hear you have sex that loud.”

Kinsey rolled her eyes. “We’re not having sex! We’re platonic life partners!”

“And bad ones at that,” Eli muttered, as the front door slammed once again.

Kinsey pushed her glasses farther up on her nose. She hated wearing her glasses, but she’d run out of contacts.

Eli looked amused.

“What?”

“Your sister does that too. Pushes up her glasses when she’s uncertain. I saw her do it at the hospital and also today.”

“I’m not uncertain!”

“Go get her,” Eli repeated. “You promised me. Don’t lose out on having a sister because of your damn pride. Or worse, fear.”

She felt her heart squeeze. She knew that for the first ten years of Max’s life, Eli had resisted getting attached to his baby brother out of resentment and anger. He’d nearly lost his shot, but he’d turned things around. Now he and Max couldn’t be closer. She knew Eli wanted that for her, with Brynn. God, she really hated when he was right.

“Look,” he said. “If it helps, I get the feeling she needs you every bit as much as you need her.”

She shook her head. “I don’t even know what I’d say to her. I was such an asshole.”

“Keep it simple and honest and from the heart. Say that you’re sorry, but that you’re working on yourself, and you’d like the chance to make it up to her, to get to know her.”

“That’s good stuff,” she admitted, not really surprised, because Eli always knew what to say. He was a rock.

“Not my first time,” he said softly, and gently tugged a lock of her hair. “Now go make it true stuff.”

Rolling her eyes, Kinsey headed toward the front door, having zero idea what she was doing. Oh, wait, yes she did. She was about to ruin Brynn’s life. She wasn’t sure how, but she was sure it would happen. Because that’s how it went in her life—she always managed to mess everything up.