Chapter Eleven
Shae
KIRA GATHERED HER THINGS and headed down the upstairs hall to the foyer, Shae trailing behind her.
The group was sprinkled throughout the kitchen and around the island, having breakfast and chatting.
“Kira’s taking off, guys,” Shae announced.
“Bummer!” Brodie said, putting down his bagel and going in for a hug.
“I’ll be back,” Kira said. “I already stayed longer than I planned.”
“When?” Seth questioned, throwing his arms out to hug her with what sounded like panic in his voice.
“Soon, Seth! Geez, I’m only like two hours away.”
The rest of the group hugged Kira, saying their goodbyes, and Shae walked her out to her car.
“Tell Elliot I said hi,” she said into Kira's ear, lifting her from the ground in a hug.
“Will do. We’re going go-kart racing, I’m excited.”
“See you back here in a couple weeks?” Shae asked.
“A couple weeks,” Kira said. “Maybe sooner.” She stepped into her car, backing out of the drive. “Love ya, girlie pop! You’re so sexy, whew whew,” she cat-called out her window at Shae as she drove off.
Shae did a little dance for her, laughing.
“Don’t tempt me,” Kira said, winking before driving away.
Shae headed inside, making a beeline for the kitchen. She pulled open the refrigerator door, the cool air washing over her as she scanned the shelves.
“Why’d Kira leave so early?” Lennon asked. “I thought she’d be staying longer?”
“She had a date,” Shae said, pulling the eggs from the fridge, setting them on the counter next to the stove, and starting up the burner.
“Ahh, I need a date,” Seth whined, dropping his head to the island counter. Everyone in the room ignored his drama.
“Who with? Do we know him?” Lennon asked. She meandered over and leaned up against the island, closer to where Shae was now cooking.
“I’m not sure,” Shae lied. “Someone from the city, I guess.”
“She should have just told him to come here,” Lennon suggested.
Shae shrank at the idea of it. Elliot, here? With her, Em, and Kira all under the same roof? No, thank you. The thought alone made her throat tighten.
“Chatham isn’t that exciting, Len,” Shae said. “Plus, where would he sleep?
“With Kira, in your bed. You coulda crashed with Em. Right, babes? You wouldn’t have minded?” she said, a smirk playing on her face.
“Lennon,” Em said, running a hand through her hair, leaving it resting at the back of her neck.
“Okay… maybe next time,” Shae said, perplexed. She plated her food and glared back over at her sister.
“I’m going out by the pool,” she said, barely able to keep the irritation from her voice. She’d loved to have added, “Nobody bother me.” But she thought better of it.
“Enjoy.” Her sister countered, her voice neutral but her eyes cutting into Shae.
“What is this about?” Claire asked. “It feels intense in here!”
“Just a little sister banter. I’m a bit more hospitable than Shae. So we sort of…” she made the motion of two fists slamming together. “Bump heads on that.” She made this statement seem casual, but there was definite spite in her tone.
Shae overheard the final comment as she swung the door shut, rolling her eyes dramatically at her sister. She headed over to the lounge chair and sank into it, setting her plate on the side table. The last thing she needed was Lennon turning breakfast into a performance, but here they were.
The door opened, and Claire headed over to join her. She sat beside Shae, her back to the door.
“Well, whatever that was about, I’m on your side,” Claire said, eliciting a chuckle from Shae.
“Glad it’s not just me that noticed she was being weird in there. The energy is way off.”
As soon as they were comfortable, the back door opened again. Shae stilled as Em stepped out.
Nerves clawed at Shae’s insides as she approached them, and she instinctively straightened in her chair.
Em’s arms were folded across her chest, her posture tight, resolute. Sunlight gleamed across her features, and Shae caught the tiniest flicker of doubt, gone in an instant, replaced by an unshakable determination.
Claire shifted beside Shae, pivoting toward Em as she approached.
“Hey Claire, can I talk to Shae for a minute?” Em asked, her voice low but clear.
Shae double blinked, startled by her directness.
Claire flashed a look toward Shae, and she gave her a subtle lift of her brows. A silent, your call.
“Sure,” Claire said with a polite smile, but Shae could feel it, the pinch beneath the surface. Claire didn’t seem too fond of being dismissed, especially not by Em.
She reached for her coffee, straightened, and sauntered off. Looking back once before disappearing into the house.
“What’s up?” Shae said, blocking her eyes from the sun to look up at Em. Em sat down in Claire’s spot, and Shae relaxed back in her chair, trying to emotionally brace for whatever was coming.
“Do you have a thing for Claire?”
Shae blinked. “Why do you ask?”
“Shae,” Em said. Her voice was soft, but there was something fierce in her stare. “I wanna know. I don’t wanna be left in the dark.”
Shae paused, the silence stretching between them.
She searched for an answer but came up short.
Claire had grown on her. She was funny, a little chaotic in a charming way—easy to talk to.
But she wasn’t Em, and that made all the difference.
That truth resonated under everything, especially after last night.
But admitting that to Em wasn’t easy, and she doubted Em would even be standing here if she knew what happened between her and Claire last night.
“I’m just getting to know her, Em. That’s a really hard question to answer.”
“Every question is a hard question for you to answer,” Em muttered.
Shae flinched. “Em, what?”
She’d heard that comment, and she had to admit, it stung a little. Since when was it a crime not to have all the answers? Shae threw her arms out to her sides, a nervous laugh slipping out.
“It’s not funny.” Em said.
“I know, I’m not trying to laugh at you. I just… I don’t know what I’m supposed to say. Am I just supposed to stop liv-
ing my life because you’re here?”
“Hah,” Em scoffed. “Not that!”
The tone in her voice made Shae freeze. She’d said the wrong thing, again.
“Never mind, Shae!”
“Em?”
“No, just forget I asked.” Em didn’t look at Shae; she didn’t wait for her reply. She rose to her feet in front of Shae, lingering as if there was something more she wanted to say. The silence of the moment held a crushing pressure behind Shae’s ribs.
Em headed back inside. The door closing shut behind her was barely audible, bringing with it a kind of silence that magnified the noise in Shae’s head.
She waited a minute, then grabbed her phone and an empty plate from the table. She got as far as the door, her hand hovered over the handle, but she didn’t pull it open. Her mind thought back to last night. She kept making careless moves, ones that could hurt people, ones she couldn’t take back.
There were two things she knew to be true: that Em rarely left her mind, and that her body still remembered her. She couldn’t keep shielding her heart from her; she had to find a way to let her in.
She set her plate back down on the outdoor table, dropped into her chair, and stared over at the door that Em just walked through, and for the first time, she didn’t reach for a reason to leave.