Total pages in book: 166
Estimated words: 157273 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 786(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 157273 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 786(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
Plus, when I considered that I’d had Allie pressed against me in the water, it was a damn good day, even if she’d put some noticeable distance between us after that.
“Oh good, you’re still here.” Caroline walked over to the railing to stand beside me, gathering her long blond hair into a low ponytail. “I wanted to talk to you.”
“What’s up? If you need me to cover some hours with Juniper now that school’s getting out, I can probably swing it depending on my schedule.” After all, that’s why I lived here.
“It’s not that.” She clenched the railing. “You’re my baby brother, and I love you. You know that, right?”
“What’s wrong?” My brow knit.
“I gave it a shot. A real shot.” Her face contorted into a look of abject misery. “And she’s lovely, but you can’t date her, Hudson.”
Chapter Fifteen
Allie
Andreamaaay: At this point I’m starting to wonder if your sister is even alive, RousseauSisters4.
User60981: If not, maybe there’s a place open at the company!
I held my foot under the knee-height shower and rinsed it off, careful not to splash the knee-length hem of my gauzy pink sundress while wiggling my toes to get the sand out from between them. As much as I’d dreaded today, it had actually been . . . fun.
Spending time with a family that clearly loved each other, building a castle with Juniper, even flirting with Hudson—which I’d never thought I’d be brave enough to do—had been a surprisingly good time, and so very different from being with my own.
And I hadn’t thought about ballet, not the heavy parts of it at least, not once. Even showing off for Hudson while I taught Eric had been a blast. I hadn’t dwelled on the speed of my recovery, or stressed that someone was vying for my place, or worried that Vasily might not showcase our ballet if I wasn’t back to full strength. Sure, I’d missed an afternoon workout, but as much as I hesitated to admit—it had been worth it.
It was the perfect balm to soothe the new wounds Mom had inflicted yesterday.
I showered off my other foot, then glanced back at the parking lot. Jessica had swung by to grab Eric after she was done with work, and Hudson wasn’t at the truck yet, which meant he was probably waiting for me. The water stopped on a timer, and I slipped my foot back into my sandal, then headed for the observation deck on the diamond-shaped comfort station, passing four separate entrances to private showers on the left and approaching the point where the building angled.
Only one moment had soured my day, and I still wasn’t sure what to do about what I’d found in Gavin’s car. Or if I had the right or responsibility to do anything at all.
“You said you wouldn’t do this!” Hudson’s voice stopped me in my tracks.
“I said I’d give her a shot, which I did,” Caroline argued, and my heart plummeted.
Maybe they were talking about someone else. There was a chance, right? I pressed my hands against the new siding and stuck close to the building as I peeked around the corner.
“And it’s not that she’s not beautiful, or smart, or good with Juniper—” Caroline continued, looking up at Hudson with a tortured expression.
“I’m well aware of how great Allie is,” he interrupted, folding his arms across his chest.
So much for hoping it wasn’t about me.
“—because she’s all those things. And under any other circumstances, I’d think she’s fabulous.” At least she looked upset about her disapproval.
“Any circumstances that she wasn’t a Rousseau.” He shook his head. “You are un-fucking-believable.”
The happiness of the day faded like it had never been there in the first place. It would always come back to that with her, wouldn’t it? Maybe that was the curse of small towns—you were never allowed to outgrow the part they assigned you.
“The fact that her bloodline is repugnant has nothing to do with what I’m trying to tell you.” She reached for his arm and he stepped back before she could touch him.
Repugnant? My hackles rose. I was a Rousseau. My last name opened doors in every ballet company across the world, and would do the same for Juniper if she wanted it.
“One day, you are going to regret you ever uttered those words,” Hudson vowed, and my stomach churned. Caroline had no idea she was maligning her own daughter.
“Listen to what I’m saying, Hudson. Please.” Her pleading tone hit me straight in the chest. I felt her desperation to reach her brother as if it were my own. “She’s lovely. She’s just not for you.”
My fingernails scraped the siding.
“Don’t start on your she’s-leaving-at-the-end-of-summer bullshit.” He curved the brim of his hat. “We’re fully grown adults capable of making decisions about long-distance relationships, or moving, or a hundred other ways to be with the person you want.”