Chapter 2

The latch had never worked properly. I'd asked Dad to fix it for years.

Outside, Sloane muttered, “Of course she gets the rich one.”

I looked at Theo. He had heard her, too.

The door opened. My sister stepped inside in a towel and stopped when she saw me sitting beside him on the edge of the tub, testing the water with my foot.

“What are you doing here?”

“Getting ready for bed. What are you doing here?”

Her gaze moved back to Theo. I saw the moment she decided the audience wouldn't matter.

“I'm sorry, Willa. It's happening again.”

She lunged for him.

Theo stood, caught my hand, and moved us aside. Sloane stumbled into the tub instead. Water splashed over the tile, and she screamed.

Mom arrived first, wrapped a robe around her, and began stroking her hair. Dad, Aunt Pam, and our cousin Brooke crowded the doorway.

“I couldn't help it,” Sloane sobbed.

Mom looked at me. “Well, if something's already happened between them, you need to step back.”

Theo's fingers tightened around mine.

“Nothing happened,” I said. “She didn't touch him. He moved.”

Aunt Pam shrugged. “He's a grown man. A little attention won't kill him.”

“You can get another boyfriend,” Brooke added. “Sloane needs support.”

Theo spoke before I could.

“I didn't consent to that.”

Nobody answered him.

I smiled at my family.

“Actually, Theo and I were talking about Labor Day. His family has a lodge in the Blue Ridge Mountains. We'd love to invite everyone.”

The change was immediate. Mom asked about the spa. Pam wanted to know whether meals were included. Brooke reached for her phone to invite her boyfriend.

Sloane kept looking at Theo.

Apparently her condition didn't prevent long-term planning.