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“Um, excuse me…are you going to wait for me?”
The voice echoed from behind, and I peeked back to see Charleigh rushing to catch up, that warm smile on her face.
Raven spun around to face both of us, still holding my hand as she dragged me inside. “I would never leave you. I just knew you would follow because hello, we obviously have to talk about this in private because is this not the absolute best thing ever?”
She drew it out before she set an emphatic gaze on me. “I mean, I hope you don’t think I’m weird or anything, but I got this feeling we were bound to be close when I met you and look what happened. You’re standing right here in my brother’s house! AndMaci.”
She dropped the last to a whisper, her hand coming to her mouth to cover the awe.
“Psychic.” Charleigh razzed it around the significance that hovered in the air.
“I call it implausible intuition. Impeccable insight. But if psychic is what you want to call it, go right ahead. Either way, I think we can all agree that I’m crazy amazing.” Raven drew it out, her tone a tease, no ego to it.
“Watch out for this one.” Charleigh’s words turned conspiratorialas she leaned toward me. “She’ll have all your secrets before you know what hit you.”
Raven rolled her eyes. “Obviously, since I’m basically the best friend you could ever have. So while Iwillhave all your secrets, you don’t have to worry because I’ll have them locked down tight. Your girl here is a vault.”
My head spun, caught in the whirlwind that were these two, wondering how I’d ended up here alone in the kitchen with them within five minutes of arriving.
As if I’d been here all along.
As if I belonged.
But I didn’t. I needed to remember my place. Why I was here.
Charleigh wound around us and pulled a glass from the cupboard. “I would never have believed it when I first met her considering she basically doesn’t stop talking, but I can attest to the fact.”
Raven hauled me around the long counter that separated the living area from the kitchen.
“What? That I’m the best bestie you could ever have or the best sister you could ever have?” She swatted Charleigh’s hip.
Sister.
I tried to ignore the sting, but I must have flinched because Raven suddenly squeezed her eyes shut and lifted her shoulders to her ears before she whispered, “Oh my God. That was really insensitive of me. I’m so sorry. I would never?—”
“It’s okay.”
She grabbed both my hands. “No. It’s not. I was so excited to finally meet you that I wasn’t thinking, and I definitely should have been. I’m so sorry to hear about your sister.”
I didn’t think I was up to talking about Emmalee right then. Not when I was certain it would only take one second for these two to go deep. To dive into the places that I was still struggling to accept.
“Finally meet me?” I asked, hoping it would derail the direction she’d been going.
A light giggle rippled from her. “Well, I could barely stop myselffrom heading out to hunt you down the first night Kane told us you and Maci were going to be staying with him.”
“You got lucky he distracted her with home decorating.” Charleigh’s brows lifted with the tease, though caution remained in her voice.
Like she knew exactly what I was doing.
Deflecting.
Another swell of warmth rippled through my insides, threatening to melt the wall of ice I’d planned on keeping erected.
God knew how desperately I needed to.
I needed to remain alert.
Watch.