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twenty-one

“Did you have sex with her?”

“Oh my God. What?” Monti froze in her tracks as soon as she walked into Athena’s house.

“She’s taking you on her trip. Did you have sex with her?” Fallon crossed her arms and stood up on her toes, trying to make herself taller than Monti, but that hadn’t worked since Monti was sixteen.

“I didn’t have sex with her.” Monti ducked her chin, because it had been damn close. And if Athena hadn’t stopped them, she would have. She would gladly have sunk between Athena’s legs and not stopped until they both came.

“That look. Right there.” Fallon pointed at her sharply. “What’s that look?”

“It’s nothing.” Monti tried to push past Fallon so she could walk to Athena’s office. Their flight was in a few hours, and the car was supposed to pick them up here. Athena had told Monti she could leave her van at the house while they were gone.

Fallon snorted. “You said the same thing when I caught you with a hickey on your neck after a night out with Rosie Gruber.”

“Jesus,” Monti muttered and shook her head. “Athena is a client. There’s nothing—”

“Even though it’s been twenty years since your night with Rosie, you’re still a shit liar.” Fallon grabbed Monti’s arm and dragged her toward the library, slamming the door shut. “What happened?”

Monti sighed heavily and dropped her duffel bag on the floor. “You know I can’t talk to you about anything.”

“Bullshit. You like her, and you can talk to me about that.” Fallon poked a finger into Monti’s shoulder. “You’re falling for your client.”

Monti groaned. She sighed heavily and tugged on her hair sharply. “It’s unethical.”

“It is.” Fallon crossed her arms, eyeing Monti over thoroughly. “Why is she taking you to Florida?”

“I don’t know. She asked, and I needed to get out of here, and it was a way to escape.”

“Escape?” Fallon’s voice cracked. “What could you possibly need to escape?”

Monti couldn’t say you. That would send Fallon into another spin. That was the last thing Monti needed before leaving for two weeks. She dragged in a sharp breath and blew it out. She was going to have to walk a very careful line on this one.

“I need to move on. I’ve been here long enough. This was a way to do that. I’ll come back and get the van in a few weeks and head north for a bit.” Monti rubbed her thumb against her finger pads, hoping her reasoning was going to work out for the best. “It’s really for the best. I mean, we’ve had our big blow up. It’s time to leave before we have the next one.”

Fallon narrowed her eyes, canting her head. Fear ratcheted up a notch in Monti’s stomach. Were they about to have another fight? Because she wasn’t sure she could handle that and then leave the state.

“When will you ever believe that I want you here?”

“Fallon,” Monti said with a whine. She had no response to that. She couldn’t even figure out what to say. It had nothing to do with Fallon wanting her there or not. It had everything to do with finding her peace.

“Why do you hate me?”

“I don’t hate you!” Monti wrapped her arms around Fallon’s shoulders and pulled her in for a hug. “Oh God, I don’t hate you at all.”

Monti didn’t want to let go. They’d never been close. But that didn’t mean they had to be distant either. Monti had thought all this time that she was trying to put distance between them so it was easier on Fallon, but maybe she’d been wrong the whole time.

“Why won’t you stay?” Fallon mumbled into her shoulder.

“I’m not someone who stays in one place. I’m just not.” How was she supposed to explain to her sister that she was on a quest for peace? She’d tried so many times and never managed it. “You know that.”

“I know.” Fallon moved back and wiped her cheeks. “I just miss you when you’re gone.”

This had been what Monti wanted to avoid. She’d managed it with everyone else except Fallon. Her sister had always had some kind of unhealthy attachment to her. “I’ll be back.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I’ll be back in two weeks.” Monti straightened her back. “I promise.”