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“I mean, I think it would have been fine to hand out French kisses,” Sawyer said. “But I’m happy I could help.”

“And just in the nick of time,” Wes said, glancing over his shoulder toward the entrance to the carnival. “It looks like we’re about to open.”

“Shoot, you’re right,” Cress said. “We better get ready.”

“And I better get to the haunted house.” Wes turned to me. “I’ll catch you later.” He planted a kiss against my cheek before running off. I smiled as I watched him go.

Sawyer threw an arm over my shoulder, watching Wes with me. “You’re one very lucky girl, sis. My brother’s no fat Thor, but he’s a total catch.”

I rolled my eyes but smiled. “He certainly is.”

He lowered his arm from over my shoulder as Wes disappeared from view. “He really likes you,” he said, turning to me. “Please don’t break his heart.”

It was the most serious I’d ever seen Sawyer, and I shook my head. “I don’t plan to.”

He stared into my eyes, weighing my response, before he finally nodded. “Good. After what happened with Sarah, I just want him to be happy. I’m just a bit worried because you were so into Noah. What if he decides he wants you back?”

“That’s never going to happen,” I said. “Noah and I are over for good, trust me. And I want Wes to be happy too. I never would have agreed to date him if I wasn’t serious about him.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Sawyer said. He let out a sigh as people started filtering into the carnival. “I better get back to the soccer booth. Wish me luck.”

“What am I wishing you luck for? What is the soccer booth?”

“You’ll have to come check it out for yourself,” he said with a grin.

As he walked away, I considered what he’d said about Wes. Sawyer was worried for no reason. I really liked Wes, and I couldn’t see anything changing that. He definitely didn’t need to be worrying about Noah. He would never change his mind about us. And, more importantly, I felt like I was finally done with him too.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-ONE

Matthew and my mom were running late. I was waiting at the carnival entrance for them, and when they finally arrived, they were looking far too chummy for my liking. Mom was giggling at something Matthew had said.Giggling. And she’d somehow managed to convince him to let her apply a little fake blood to his cheek and to loosen his tie. It was all too weird.

“Isobel, there you are,” Mom said, smiling brightly at me. She hadn’t applied her usual zombie makeup. Instead, she’d gone light on the face paint and seemed to be aiming for more of a sexy waitress. I had a feeling it was because Matthew was here.

“Hey, you guys. So, we’ve got a sexy—sorry, I mean—zombiewaitress...” Mom shot me a scowl, but I happily ignored her. “And a...” I turned to my father, and my mouth puckered as I tried to guess what he was. “Can you give me a clue?”

“Apparently, I’m a zombie businessman,” he replied.

He said it so seriously I laughed. “Yeah, I guess I can see that.”

Matthew smiled, but his face turned serious again when he caught sight of someone beyond me. “If you will both excuse me for a moment, I see August Montfort. I’ve been meaning to have a quick word with him.”

He must have been talking about Sawyer and Wes’s dad. I hadn’t told Matthew that Wes and I were dating, but given the way he managed to keep tabs on everything that was happening at school, he’d probably found out somehow. Still, I hoped he was planning to talk to Wes’s dad about business or something completely unrelated to me dating his son. I’d already experienced more than enough drama when it came to meeting my boyfriend’s family, and I wasn’t so keen to repeat it.

“Go ahead,” Mom said.

I watched Matthew walk over to a man who was about his age. I could immediately see the similarity he shared with the twins. He had the same blond hair and a similar build to both boys, but he clearly didn’t hit the gym as much as they did. Matthew smiled brightly as he shook the man’s hand. There definitely wasn’t any rift between my father and Wes’s family—thank goodness.

“So, did you help Cress avoid her crisis?” Mom asked.

“I really just offered moral support,” I said. “It was actually Sawyer who saved the day.”

“That’s Wes’s twin brother, right? The cheeky one.”

“That’s him.” I smiled. Though he hadn’t been quite so cheeky when I’d last seen him. He’d been surprisingly thoughtful and honest as he’d questioned me about Wes. Although it was unlike Sawyer, I didn’t take offense. If anything, it warmed my heart to know he cared so much for his brother.

When Matthew returned from chatting with Mr. Montfort, I was relieved he didn’t come back with any warnings about dating Wes. Perhaps he didn’t know we were together. Or maybe he knew and was fine with it. I definitely wasn’t going to bring it up voluntarily. Ignorance was bliss, and I didn’t want another relationship ruined because of my father’s family name.

The carnival was already crowded with people as we entered. Locals from the town, kids from school, and their families and friends had all come out for the occasion. I was impressed by the elaborate costumes everyone wore and surprised to find so many of the parents had dressed up too.