Starless Nights (Hale Brothers Series Book 2) (17 page)

“Ewww, that’s gross.” She giggles, still holding my hand.

“Anyway, I like learning all of these things and you always seem to like hearing them, so as far as I see it, it’s a win-win.”

“I guess so. You are by far the smartest person I know.”

“I don’t know about that, but if you think so, okay.”

Watching her, under the stars, while she holds my hand . . . I couldn’t be happier.

IT’S THE FIRST weekend in September, and Drew and Ali decide to throw a party. Ali had called earlier in the week to remind us and I assured her that Charlie and I would be there, even though I needed to spend the time finalizing the last minute details on the Fashion Week collection. And honestly, after spending the afternoon with Beau a few days before, I needed the entire week to prepare myself to see him again. Beau’s different, he’s changed, and this new Beau has my head spinning.

It was easy to ignore him before. He’s always been a little on the loud side and lacked the ability to use a filter. He liked to be the center of attention. He was funny and smiled a lot. Everyone wanted to be friends with him and he was friends with everyone.

But this Beau is quiet and reserved. He sits off to the side more and seems to shy away from the spotlight. He’s still funny if you get him going but he never smiles or laughs anymore. Even Drew and Ali commented on how he never talks about any friends, mostly it’s just Matt, and here at Ali’s party, this is the first time any of us have seen or heard of a Nate.

“I thought that you said the two of you got along last weekend?” Charlie says to me as we watch Drew leave the patio and walk into the condo behind Beau.

“We did, at least that’s what I thought.”

“Huh.” Charlie leans back against the railing.

Every time that Beau and I are together, it’s like we are in a bubble where it’s just him and me. But the minute you put us out into the ‘real world,’ the bubble pops.

“Do you think that he thinks we are together?” Charlie asks me.

I consider this. The first time he saw us, Charlie made it seem like we were together, and even today we were standing pretty close. “Maybe, except for the beach, he’s seen me three times and all three times I’ve been with you.”

“You should tell him that we’re not together then.”

“I really don’t know if it would make much of a difference. Anyway, I’ve got two weeks left until the show and I need to focus on the collection. You know that for years I’ve wanted to be a designer. This is my future and I can’t let anything get in the way of it . . . even him.”

“I still think you should tell him, especially before it’s too late.” He nods his head and I look over to see Drew introducing him to a very beautiful girl. He shakes her hand, smiles at her, and I feel like a part of me dies. Since I first saw him almost two months ago he hasn’t smiled at me much at all, but with her it just came out so easily.

When we were kids, his face used to light up every time he saw me. He would smile and wave and it was the best feeling in the world to know that he was happy because of me.

I should have known that Ali would have invited over some of her dancing friends. I spent so much time thinking about seeing Beau and how I would react to him, that I never considered that I might have to see him with someone else.

Ali walks out on to the porch and without thinking I ask, “Who’s that?”

She follows my gaze and pauses.

“Oh, she’s a friend of mine from school. Her name is Camille and she’s in the dance program with me.” I can feel Ali looking at me so I stop staring at the girl and give Ali my attention. Ali’s face is one of remorse. I hate that she knows me so well.

“Is she nice or fake?”

“She’s nice,” Ali says quietly.

Camille is such a pretty name and reminds me of the time Beau asked me about mine.

“How did you get your name? I’ve never met anyone named Leila before,” Beau asks.

“My mom and dad went on their honeymoon to Hawaii. When they got to the hotel they each were given a necklace made of Orchids called a lei. My mom said that since they had such a memorable time there and because I was born just a couple of months shy of their one year anniversary, that it was the perfect name. She said she loves my name because it reminds her of one of the best times in her life.”

“I’ve seen those flower necklaces before.”

“Aren’t they just beautiful? Orchids are my favorite flower. It’s why I love purple so much.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that,” Beau says, while looking at me thoughtfully.

The next day, Beau shows up to Bean Point with a potted Orchid plant. He had ridden his bike down to the local nursery and bought it for me. His smiled from ear to ear when he handed it to me. He has always been so thoughtful and I loved that plant. When we were rummaging through the remains from the fire, I looked for the pot, but never found it.

Blinking out of the memory, I look back and continue to observe them. Beau’s friend Nate walks up and introduces himself. They all laugh and my heart breaks, I’ve always loved Beau’s laugh.

I really do only want the best for him.

This sucks.

I HAD ANOTHER nightmare last night. It’s been almost two months since I’ve had one this bad and I hate how real they feel. The unavoidable terror, Matt’s cries, and Leila’s screams; they echo in my mind nonstop leaving me no way to escape it.

I understand the dreams. I’ve never wondered why I have them—they are my biggest fears. Drew has never appeared in any of them but then again, I’ve never worried about him. He always did exactly what he needed to do to fly under the radar and focus on getting out. I knew he would. But it’s my mother, Matt, and Leila that I always feared for.

My mother was always weak. She never stood up for herself and demanded to be treated better. He walked all over her like a door mat that had been used and tossed aside, and he was physical with her more times than I care to remember. That last day, when I walked into the kitchen and saw him strangling her, I’ll never forget it. The image is burned into my memory. Her eyes were huge, her mouth was open, and he had her head tipped to an awkward angle. He was going to kill her . . . and then he saw me.

Usually after school, I headed straight for the courts to get a few sets in with Grant, but on this particular day, he canceled last minute to go help his grandmother with her yard. Instead of finding something else to do, like dropping into Beachside Café, I chose to go home. Leila always worked there for a few hours after school, and mostly I don’t mind seeing her, but after watching Drew fall in love and finally find some peace with himself, I just couldn’t go there.

Matt was so small and helpless. Both my mother and my father pretended like he didn’t exist and he was always by himself. Drew and I tried to talk to him and show him some attention when we could, but we were busy trying to survive and get by ourselves. No one ever talked to Matt or showed him love. I remember, before Matt was born, mom hugging me, loving on me, and protecting me. I can’t imagine what life as a child would be like without that.

And then there’s Leila. She was always the one thing that was mine, only mine. Every day I woke up in fear that he would tell me I couldn’t see her anymore. I just knew that he was going to take her away from me somehow. She brought me happiness in a way that was indescribable and the thought of not having her left me anxious more often than not.

As for the fire, that’s an obvious one.