Chapter 7
CHAPTER
SEVEN
REBEL
Gunner clears the forest line on the edge of the Kinsey property and moves toward me at a sedate pace. He’s always been frustratingly even-keeled, compared to his more dramatic mother.
But this is no time to be calm.
Marjorie and her cohorts couldn’t keep a secret to save their lives. By now, the entire town must have heard that we’re dating.
It’s my worst nightmare come to life.
He needs to fix this.
I wait impatiently for him to get closer, shifting my weight from one leg to the other. Gunner stops in front of me, his hands in his pockets.
I straighten to my full height. “Gunner, what was… why did you…” I grit my teeth in frustration. “I don’t even know where to start.”
The prince of Lucky Falls says nothing. He just stares at me like I’m a car with a stalled engine.
Rubbing the crown of my forehead briskly, I mutter, “Is your mom really okay?”
He nods.
“Good. That’s… that’s good.” The Kinseys are the worst , but I would hate to be responsible for Carol Kinsey getting hurt. Reassured, I fold my arms over my chest, “I’ll hear your explanation now.”
He arches a brow as if to say what do you mean?
“You told the Ladies we were dating,” I point out flatly.
“I did.” Gunner’s voice is incredibly deep and quite soulful for someone as quiet as he is. However, he doesn’t sound apologetic at all.
“You…” I point to him. “And me?”
He nods.
“Are dating?” I hiss.
Another nod.
“When were you going to inform me of that?”
“That’s what this conversation is for.”
I look up at the treehouse, at a loss for words. What on earth is going on right now? “I don’t understand. Are you ordering me to date you?”
He squints into the distance. “I’d call it more of a negotiation.”
“You must be joking.” I release a frustrated breath and rake my fingers through my hair. “But even if you aren’t, my answer is no. I’m not interested in you nor will I ever be interested in you. Even if you were the last man on earth, I wouldn’t date you. Even if I was cursed to be alone and miserable for the rest of my life, I wouldn’t choose you. I’d rather chew on a box of radiator caps than be your girlfriend. Is that clear enough?”
His gaze on me remains steady and unwavering. “I’m not interested in dating you either.”
I throw my hands up. “Then why did you say that?”
He just stares at me.
“Fine. I don’t need an explanation or an apology. Just go back to your mom and the other ladies and clarify that we have nothing to do with each other.”
“No.”
“No?”
He nods decisively I said what I said.
“Gunner Ezekiel Kinsey, have you lost your mi?—”
Gunner steps toward me.
I shuffle back on instinct.
He stops and, for a brief moment, looks hurt by my retreat. But what does he expect? Gunner is a big guy. That long-sleeved, black shirt he’s wearing can’t hide his impressive muscles or the ink peeping out at his wrists.
He could break me in half if he so chose. Since we’re mortal enemies and his family pretty much run this town, he could easily get away with my murder.
Heart hammering in my chest, I declare, “If you don’t tell your mom the truth, I’ll tell her myself.”
Turning sharply, I walk away.
“I’m surprised you asked to meet at the treehouse,” Gunner says to my back.
I freeze.
He adds, “You and I used to play here, remember?”
“Did we? I totally forgot.” I scratch behind my ear.
It’s an unfortunate stain in my memory. Believe it or not, there was a time when I looked forward to tagging along with my mom to the Kinseys’ farm. A time when I thought I might one day marry Gunner Kinsey. A time that’s a lot simpler than now.
“Back then, I even had a nickname for you,” Gunner says.
My insides coil tight. Don’t. Don’t you dare…
“Bell.”
I swerve around, heated. “Why are you bringing that up now?”
Gunner’s eyes lift briefly to meet mine. I startle at the eye contact. His irises are a pale, pale blue. Like all the vibrancy was strained from the sky and only the faintest thread of color remained.
There’s something otherworldly about those eyes. Which is probably why the fangirls in town swear he’s some kind of fairy prince from another realm.
“So much time has passed, it seems like a dream,” Gunner says steadily. “But there was a moment when we didn’t hate each other.”
“Yeah, when I was five.” I stomp up to him and gesture between the two of us. “If you haven’t noticed, your family and I are mortal enemies. Have been since I was a kid. And you stopped talking to me first. This is the longest conversation we’ve had in years.”
Rather than answer me, he looks at the treehouse. The structure is made of logs and held together with enough rope and nails to keep it sitting tight in a hurricane. The tree leaves nearby formed a natural roof, but it’s overgrown and unkept, ivy trailing down the sides. The small balcony that wraps around the entire structure is filled with fallen leaves and debris.
Silence washes between us as we stare at the eyesore. It’s a perfect parallel for me and Gunner. Whatever affection I had as a child for him is as abandoned as this old spot.
“I can get you a seat at the table,” Gunner offers. “My mom is a woman of her word. She might regret what she said at the party, but it’s out there now. She’ll honor her promise to let you into the Society.”
“I have my own plan.” Sure, that plan involves joining the knitting society, networking with the ladies there, finding a recommender, and then jumping through a bunch of hoops but…
“Rebel—”
“I don’t need you,” I insist. “I’ll figure it out on my own.”
He frowns at me. “You’re being stubborn.”
“Kind of comes with the name.”
“Let me help you.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t like it either,” he says.
My eyes shift to Gunner again.
“The way only one side of town gets help and attention.” He frowns as if it really bothers him. “The way the Ladies talked to you, none of it. A lot of my teammates are from the southside. They find time to train for hockey and go to work at the factory after the games. They didn’t grow up like me, but they’re good people. They don’t deserve to be discriminated against.”
My eyes shift between his. “ You care about fairness and justice?”
“You asked me why I did it.” He shrugs.
I chew on my bottom lip, considering my options. On the one hand, I can continue pricking my hands and eventually join the knitting club so I can ask around for a recommender.
Or I can take the golden ticket and skip right into the Lady Luck Society.
Silently, I weigh my hatred for Gunner Kinsey against my desire to join the Ladies. It’s a tempting offer, but can I really put my disgust aside and convince the town that I’m dating a Kinsey? It’s a well-known fact that Gunner and I can’t stand each other.
Plus, I don’t expect Stewart Kinsey or Carol Kinsey to sit back and do nothing when they see me parading around with Gunner.
The giant hockey player draws closer to me and, this time, I don’t step back. “Come on, Rebel,” he whispers, “this is your chance to use a Kinsey to get what you want. Are you really going to pass that up?”
When he puts it like that…
I do relish the thought of torturing the Kinseys with the fact that I’m dating their golden child.
But more than that, there’s so much good I could do at the Society. Once I start bringing attention to the people, roads, and buildings that need the most help, it’ll all be worth it.
Trying my best to hide my growing interest, I face Gunner. “You said you brought me here to negotiate. What did you mean by that?”
“If you and I start dating, we need to go all-in.”
I frown at the term. “What does that mean?”
His eyes dart to my lips. My heart starts thudding. Is he going to ask for a kiss?
“You’ll need to smile at me.”
I’m so astonished, that I can only stare at him for a second. “S-smile? Seriously? That’s it?”
He nods.
I bare my teeth in what I know is probably the ugliest smile in my arsenal. “There.”
“Not like that.”
“How then?”
Slowly, Gunner reaches out. The pad of his thumb brushes against the corner of my eye. It’s a whisper soft touch and yet my heart thumps wildly.
“The smile that reaches your eyes.” He runs his thumb back and forth. “It doesn’t have to be today or tomorrow, but eventually, give me that one.”