Amity Hope Malice (epub)

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.I let out a sympathetic groan.Alex glanced her way and Finola took a sharp turn to the right.“Oh, Fin,” Daphne said as she shook her head.We watched as she approached a group of girls, most of them part of Xavier’s entourage.“So close,” I wryly said.“And yet so very far,” Daphne finished for me.“I need to stop giving her such a hard time about him,” I admitted.“What? Are you seriously coming around? Did you decide he’s not that bad?” Daphne raised her eyebrows in surprise.I scowled at her.“No.But she can’t even talk to him.He’s never going to have a clue how she feels.”“Oh, you’re one to talk,” Daphne said with an eye roll.“How many years has this unrequited crush of yours gone on?”“Tristan and I are just friends,” I said irritably.“Exactly,” she mumbled.“Unless you finally own up to your feelings, that’s all you’ll ever be.”She looped her arm through mine, having obviously tired of the conversation.“Let’s go rescue Fin,” she said.“She doesn’t belong with the gaggle of girls that came to gawk at my brother.”I didn’t protest and we trudged our way through the sand.When we reached Finola, she looked so defeated that neither Daphne nor I felt compelled to give her a hard time.Instead, we pulled her away from the crowd, back to our comfortable group of three.Finola and I didn’t stay at Daphne and Xavier’s long.It was a school night but more than that, Finola’s nerves seemed to have been shredded by her failed attempt to talk to Alex.She barely spoke as I drove her home.Against my better judgment I actually felt bad for her.Not that I wanted Alex to be interested, but I knew how she felt.Unless you finally own up to your feelings, that’s all you’ll ever be.Daphne’s diatribe refused to be banished from my head.If I were going to finally be honest with myself, I needed to face it.I wasn’t really fooling anyone.Except for maybe Tristan.I was pretty sure he had no idea.But I needed to stop lying to myself.Not that it would get me anywhere.If only it were that simple.If only I could tell him.But I couldn’t.I wasn’t ready to sacrifice our friendship or my dignity.Tristan had never hinted at feeling anything more for me.And lately, even our friendship felt strained.So for now, I was going to continue to let it go.I let out a piteous sigh as I turned into The Bella Luna.My headlights sliced across our home.It stood at the top of a bluff.It overlooked the Atlantic on one side and the lights of Granite Falls lit up the night sky on the other.The house was a classic Victorian.It had been in our family for over a hundred years.Mom had inherited it from her parents when they passed away.After Dad left, she wasn’t sure how she’d manage the upkeep on a home that was so huge.Then inspiration had struck and she’d turned her childhood home into The Bella Luna Bed and Breakfast.I always thought it looked like a true work of art, something befitting of a painting.The siding was pale blue.The decorative trim and spacious porches with their detailed railings were white.Decorative spindles separated the first story porch from the second.Bold, ornamental brackets rested under the eaves.The porches were wide and rounded.Lush baskets of brightly colored hanging flowers gently swayed in the breeze.An ornate cupola rested atop the spacious turret.As far as I knew, we had no guests tonight.None were penciled in and there were no strange cars parked out front.Mom had left the yard light on for me.Her bedroom window was lit up with the pale glow of her lamp.The rest of the house was dark.I’d have to poke my head in to tell her goodnight.But after that, I was going straight to my room.I was going to toss myself on my bed.I was going to try to talk myself out of being such a coward.Maybe then someday I’d have the courage to tell Tristan how I felt.Maybe.Someday.Just not today.Chapter 2“You must’ve been out late last night,” Tristan noted.He poked his glasses further up the bridge of his nose as he squinted at me.We were sitting at the kitchen table, piles of homework spread out between us.I narrowed my eyes at him.“Why would you say that?”“You look tired,” was his blunt reply.He dipped his head again as he tapped his pencil against the open notebook.“It was worth it.I was out with my friends.Having fun.You should give it a try sometime,” I retorted with a smile.“Sarcasm doesn’t suit you,” he said without bothering to look up from the textbook.“Acting like you’re seventy doesn’t suit you,” I volleyed back.That was a lie.I thought it suited him just fine.In fact, I thought everything about Tristan suited him just fine.Except for, maybe, his very platonic feelings for me.Those I wished would go through a bit of an adjustment.“Mmm, check this out,” Daphne cooed from her perch near the window.Her statement was accentuated by a car door slamming shut.“I think you might have a new guest.” She cocked her head to the side, assessing him.“He’s too damn hot to be human.” She let the gauzy curtain fall back into place as she turned to face us.“Sorry, Tristan,” she simpered as she crossed the kitchen to the table.She wasn’t being racist.Her snobbery simply wasn’t all that selective.Without missing a beat, Tristan flipped a page in his notebook.“So, anyway, an antiderivative—”“—is too boring to waste any more time on,” Daphne finished for him.She gracefully dropped into the chair next to mine as I got to my feet.Mom was out and while we didn’t have any guests at the moment, we tried to always be sure The Bella Luna had someone in attendance.Today, that someone was me.“I’ll be right back.You two,” I said as I poked my finger first at one, then the other, “play nice.” Before they could respond, I was moving across the kitchen.As I exited through the dining room, the bell above the front door gave its cheery little jingle.I swerved my way past the enormous walnut table, through the arched doorway and into the oversized foyer.Daphne had one thing right, definitely not human.I could feel the soft, subtle hum of magic drifting through the air.Despite my worn blue jeans and my plain, comfy white tee, I plastered on a professional smile [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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