“I brought you some food.”
I tilt my head. “Is this just a sly way of seeing me?”
“Yes, absolutely, but you seemed tired and I didn’t have anything to do and I do have trailer park approval.” He jerks his head behind him. “I parked over at Bobby’s. But I’m happy to drop this off and go. I just wanted to make sure you were fed.”
There’s no way I’m sending him home, not when he looks so adorable. “Come on, you can watch my rom-com with me.”
?
??Rom-com?” He looks a little scared.
“Yep. Girls’ night in. That’s what I do.”
There’s so little room in the trailer we eat on the bed, two hamburgers and a massive pile of fries. Justin makes fun of my rom-com, asking a million questions. Do girls really think that’s cute? What is going on? No way a guy would ever do something like that!
But the truth is that he’s sitting on my bed, watching cheesy movies with me, eating food he brought me and being the sweetest so yeah, guys do things like that. I just don’t tell him so, but I do kiss him and snuggle with him under the covers until my eyes grow heavy.
The next thing I know is that it’s bright outside, Justin’s arm is wrapped around my stomach and there’s a loud banging on the door.
“Shit,” I say, scrambling for my phone. It’s 10 a.m. I totally overslept. “Jay, wake up.”
He groans and rubs his eyes, revealing the thin strip of skin above his waist.
“We overslept. Or I overslept. I don’t know where you had to be today, but I have an interview with that woman and she’s here.”
Another knock bangs on the door. I hop out of bed and throw the curtain, hiding Justin behind it. I squeeze past the table and fling open the door. Shay stands on my little gravel path in her high heels and fashionable skirt. Her blouse hangs from her shoulders, exposing her pale skin.
“Shay! I apologize I totally overslep—” I look behind her and see Nick standing with his hands in his pockets. An amused smile curves his lips. “Nick?”
“Oh, I tracked down Nick last night to talk to him about his exquisite photos. He agreed to go along with us today as we recreate your mother’s path.”
He shrugs and I hear a grunt behind me—most likely Justin banging his head on the ceiling. Shay’s eyebrow rises, implying she heard it too. “I’ll be ready in a minute. I’d invite you in, but…well, it’s tiny in here.” I gesture to the chairs. “Feel free to wait out here.”
“Of course.”
I shoot Nick an undeserved glare and shut the door.
“Sorry, babe, I don’t go in until one today. I didn’t set my alarm,” Justin says, but I shush him to lower his voice.
“Look, that lady is in all of my business and I’m willing to do it for Mom, but I do not need her to know about you or anyone else.”
Quickly I wash my face and brush my teeth before securing my hair on top of my head. I reach for a sundress in the small, narrow closet. I strip off my pajamas and tug it over my head. I smooth it down and Justin moves behind me, zipping up the zipper. I feel his breath on my neck. “You’re keeping this secret from a lot of people, Summer. You think you can handle that?”
I spin and we’re face to face. I glance to the window that’s covered in a floral curtain and don’t respond, other than kissing him hard on the mouth. My heart hammers in my chest and I see a flare of want on his face. “Secrets are what this family does best, Justin. And oddly enough, we’re family now.”
I slip away, exiting the trailer and shutting the door before anyone can see him. I know Nick won’t be mad about this but the last thing I need is my worlds colliding in front of Shay. This interview is about my mother. Not me. And I plan to keep it that way.
13
Nick
Summer and I keep a wide distance on the ride around rural South Carolina with Shay. The reporter drove while I navigated. Summer settled herself in the back. None of this was a big deal, Summer’s allowed to have company—male company—at her home. She’s over eighteen, but I know she’s felt the pressure of visibility on her by living in such a small town. Having this reporter dig into her life is only making matters worse.
We stop at the county courthouse where we’d researched much of the case the year before. Shay wanted to stop in and get some input from the workers.
“I’ve had enough of the records room,” Summer says, waving her off. “Have fun.”
Once Shay’s inside the airconditioned building, I lean against the wall.