The Summer Deal (Wildstone #5)(16)

Every single time.





Chapter 6


From ten-year-old Kinsey’s summer camp journal:

Dear Journal,

Ugh. Everyone looks at me weird here because I take a lot of medicines, and because the counselors let me sit on the sidelines when the other campers have to exercise. I hate the stares. So I stare back. I’m getting good at it. Someone stole my medical bracelet but no one would confess, so I stole something from everyone in my cabin. I hate them all.

I’d run away, but I don’t feel good enough to walk home. Also, I can’t leave Eli. He’s the only person here who’s nice to me. Okay, so he’s nice to everyone, but he’s the nicest to me. When I told him I was sad because I didn’t have family to write to, he told me he’d be my brother for life, and I could write to him. But he’s right here, so that’s stupid.

There’d better be ice cream for dessert tonight. Chocolate ice cream.

Kinsey

p.s. I still hate you.

“STUPID, YOU’RE SO, so, so stupid,” Brynn muttered to herself, taking herself and her duffel bag back down the walkway toward her car. How could she have just blindly agreed to move in? Had she learned nothing? Had she already forgotten the deal she’d made with herself to protect the people she cared about, the one where she was going to lay off rash decisions and let everyone continue to walk their chosen path without interference or distraction from her?

She shook her head. A temporary setback, that was all. A “two steps forward, one step back” sort of thing. She could fix that. And she’d make it easier on herself—the hell with no rash decisions. No more decisions at all, at least until she grew the hell up.

Behind her, she heard the front door open, but she refused to stop. “Sorry, Eli,” she said without looking. “But you should’ve told me that you’re still a member of the Kinsey Davis Mean Kids Club.”

“The Kinsey Davis Mean Kids Club?”

Brynn closed her eyes. Shit. Not Eli. Kinsey herself, the president of the club, the Kinsey who’d grown from a moody, surly teen into a moody, surly woman. And that she was also stunningly beautiful with great taste in shoes really chapped Brynn’s hide. “Never mind,” Brynn said. “Forget it. Forget all of it, I shouldn’t have come.”

“Yeah, well, you did, so . . .” Then Kinsey surprised her by grabbing the strap on Brynn’s duffel bag and tugging on it.

Brynn turned to face her. “What the hell?”

“You’re not leaving.”

“Oh, yes, I am.” Brynn tugged back, and—perfect—now they were in a full-out tug-of-war with her bag.

“Stop.” Kinsey won the wrestle-for-the-bag contest. Damn, she was stronger than she looked. “You gave Eli a verbal agreement,” the mean girl had the balls to say. “You’re our new roommate, for better or worse.”

“I gave that verbal agreement under false assumptions. No way am I going to live here with you.”

“Okay. I get that. But consider this—if you didn’t want this too, you wouldn’t be yelling at me. And you wouldn’t be all red-faced and sweaty.”

That that might actually be true really fried Brynn’s ass. Enough that her mouth bypassed her brain and ran free. “Seriously, you’re like . . . a Disney villain.”

Kinsey’s eyes narrowed. “Take that back.”

“Fine,” Brynn said. “‘Villain’ is a little strong. Deep, deep down, you’ve got some good qualities. Probably.”

“I meant the Disney part.”

Brynn rolled her eyes. For the past year, she’d slowly gotten into a bad headspace where she had clearly forgotten how to stand up for herself. Ashton had done that, and she was ashamed of herself because she’d let him. But it was a cycle she hadn’t known how to break.

Until now.

Suddenly, she felt strong and willing to be vocal and fight for herself. “You and I both know this would never work out, and frankly, I’m not even sure why you’d want it to.” She let her bag drop to the ground. “You don’t want me here.”

“You don’t know me.”

“I know you like to be mean to little kids just because they’re different.”

Kinsey stilled, then closed her eyes. “Yeah. So about that . . .”

“I’m listening.”

Kinsey grimaced. “You have no idea how badly I feel about what a big asshole I used to be.”

“Used to be?”

Kinsey’s eyes flew open, flashing something Brynn couldn’t get a bead on. Maybe slight humor and approval that Brynn was standing up to her. “People change,” she finally said.

Not buying it, Brynn shook her head. “Come on. I know you don’t want me here either.” Some of what she’d overheard hadn’t computed, but she’d understood that much.

“I just had a really shit day, okay?” Kinsey paused. “But I’m okay. Thanks for asking back there, about the hospital thing. It was a false alarm. I’m sorry for taking all of that out on you.”

Brynn supposed she could understand that, given her own situation and the whole string of really bad days she’d had . . .

Kinsey met her gaze. “I’m also sorry I was so unwelcoming, but I’m like that. Ignore me, but don’t go. Don’t take my bad behavior out on Eli. He needs to fill that room.”