With a vigorous nod, I said, "Yeah, your wreath would've been as good as new. In fact, itwillbe as good as new, once I'm done cleaning it up."
I turned and gave the wreath a perfunctory glance. "See? It isn't wet or anything so the paper's coming off just fine." As I looked back to Cole, I forced some extra pep into my voice to say, "In fact, if you want, you could leave again, and —"
"Forget it," he said. "I'm not going anywhere."
Right.If I were in his shoes, I wouldn't leave either, not with an apparent psycho on the loose.
It was time for another approach. "Okay, I get it. But I'm just saying, you don't need to watch me clean it up. You could go inside while I finish. That way, you wouldn’t need to worry."
His mouth tightened. "Do I look worried?"
No. He didn't.He looked hard and impervious like Christmas coal sculpted into something too gorgeous for anyone on Santa's naughty list.
In reply to his question, I gave a silent shake of my head.Boy, was Harper gonna pay for this.
Abruptly he asked, "And where's your car?"
"My car?" I shifted from foot to foot. "It's um, somewhere close."
His expression only hardened. "Where?"
I stared at him for a long, silent moment as I considered my reply. If only I'd come clean weeks ago, everything would've been so much simpler. Sure, it would've been embarrassing at the time, but it would've been nothing compared to this.
In front of me, Cole was still waiting for my answer.
Oh, screw it.
With a sigh, I lifted my left hand, the one still clutching the wad of loose toilet paper. I extended a finger through the mess and pointed to my aunt's place.
Cole turned and gave the empty driveway only a passing glance before turning back to say, "If it's there, I'm not seeing it."
"Right." I cleared my throat. "Because it's in the garage."
His eyebrows furrowed. "You mean across the street?"
"Uh, yeah. You see, the thing is…" Bracing myself, I sucked in a quiet breath and just said it. "That's where I'm living."
"What?" Cole turned to stare at my aunt's place. He was still looking away when he asked, "And the redhead?"
By now, it had been weeks since he'd returned the Kitten Cove sign. Apparently, Harper had made quite an impression. Sure, it wasn't agoodimpression, but it would surely be ten times worse if Cole ever learned thatshe'dbeen the one who'd "decorated" his wreath.
My spine grew twitchy as I confessed, "She's my sister." I paused to see what he'd say, and when he said nothing, I kept on going. "And the blonde's my cousin. You see, the three of us…we're staying there together."
Finally, Cole turned to face me. With a look that I couldn’t quite decipher, he asked, "For how long?"
"I'm not sure," I said. "It depends on my aunt."
"Your aunt."
"Yeah, she's the owner of the house. But when she gets back – probably in January – we'll all be moving out. But that's only a guess, so I can't say for sure how long we'll be staying."
Cole looked slightly puzzled and just a little wary. He opened his mouth to say something, only to shut it just as quickly without saying a single word.
I asked, "Thatwaswhat you wanted to know, wasn't it?"
He shook his head. "Imeant, 'When did you move in?'"
"Oh." I felt myself swallow. "Yeah, I guess that would be a more pertinent question, huh?"
