Why?
“Penny for your thoughts?” Ethan asked, taking a left on Jersey St.
“My thoughts are worth more than a penny,” I said, grinning when he slammed on the brakes to make me fall forward, but I had my seatbelt on.
“Your thoughts should be free,” he grumbled, and I punched him in the arm for insinuating I was dumb.
We were about to pass the Hampton mansion now. “Hey, pull over for a minute.”
“Easton, we—”
“Just for a minute, come on.” I loved it here. The pastures went on forever; the trees looked like they were by the thousands. I couldn’t wait for the leaves to turn in fall. Some were already fading from green to yellow, and in a few weeks, it would look like a wave of color. Ethan pulled the black Dodge truck over, and we dipped over the shallow ditch then pulled up on the dirt road that was the driveway. He stopped before hitting the rusted iron gated fence.
Two thick silver chains hung between the two gates to keep them locked and in place, and two stone statues of lions guarded each side. They were worn and cracked, clearly aged, and one looked damaged from being vandalized.
I opened up the door and climbed out, my boots hitting the red clay that made up the path, and the sun took that moment to burst through the clouds, shining a ray of light on the dilapidated mansion. The soles of my boots kicked up clouds of dirt as I strolled toward the old iron gate. I wrapped my hands around the slender bars, the rust scratching my palms, and I stared out between the metal, seeing the ashes of a beautiful mansion that stood there so long ago.
“I don’t know what your fascination is with this house,” Ethan said, kicking back and leaning against the front bumper of the truck. “It’s old, it needs to be torn down, and did you forget about the ghost of Glenn Hampton? This place looks creepy.”
“It does not. You’re being dramatic,” I said, and with every second I stared at the house, the more I wanted it.
“Right. It’s a story for a reason, Easton.”
“You’re going to tell me you believe in that crap?” I asked in disbelief, turning my head to look over my shoulder at him. He had his arms crossed over his chest, ankles crossed, and he was chewing on a long piece of wheat sticking straight out of his mouth. Ethan was never the type to believe in shit like that. This was the first I’d heard of it.
“No, but do I want to take a chance? Also, no. What is it about this place that you like so much?” he asked the questions I had been wondering for a few years now, and I still didn’t have a good answer. Something about it. I didn’t want to say the house ‘called’ to me, but I felt like it was meant to be mine. Something tugged me here; maybe it was because this mansion looked about how I felt on the inside.
And it had a lot of rebuilding to do.
“I don’t know. I just think it’s a shame a place like this is going to waste.” I wanted to tell Ethan that I thought we should buy it, but I wanted to talk to everyone about it when we were all together. And by Ethan’s reaction, the prospect didn’t seem too promising. “Well, let’s get going and price that lumber. I’m going to be late for work.”
“And it will be your fault. You’re the one that wanted to stop.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know.” I dragged my feet back to the truck, and when I opened the door to climb in the passenger seat, I lifted myself up by taking the step that jutted out from the side of the truck, then glanced back at the house.
The clouds moved in front of the sun, and gone was the hope of a beautiful mansion and in its place was half−burnt down home that looked haunted and dead. With a sigh, I ducked my head into the cab and buckled up.
Ethan put the truck in reverse, and before I knew it, we were back on the road and heading further into town. A light mist of rain started to fall, but it wasn’t enough to turn on the wipers. Rain, another thing that reminded me of Luna. She loved to stand in the rain and feel it on her face; at least she did when she was younger.
It was frustrating.
Fucking everything in existence reminded me of her. When would it end? I leaned my head against the window, and Ethan turned on country music, so we weren’t sitting in silence. See, I didn’t mind the silence. I could sit in quiet all day and be at peace, but words were the ones that caused me strife. A word could ruin peace.
The hum of the tires had my eyes feeling heavy, but there was no time to be tired today, not when I had a twenty-four-hour shift ahead. Ethan slowed the truck when the Lowe’s sign came into view, and the decrease in speed helped me wake up.
Plus, there was something about going to Lowe’s that got my blood pumping. I loved the smell of it in there, the wood, the plants— it was a man’s haven. We drove by the sheds and trailers, and I made a mental note that I would like one of each, but I wanted to build a shed instead. I loved projects.
Ethan parked further in the back and took up two spots since the truck was big. We climbed out, and I unzipped my duffel to grab my jacket when a shiver worked its way over my skin.
“Oh, look. Mr. Nightingale is here.”
I followed Ethan’s finger, where he pointed and flipped my collar to keep my neck warm. My heart stuttered when I saw the familiar red Lexus SUV. I suddenly didn’t want to go inside Lowe’s because if we saw him, he might punch me in the face. The man hated me, probably more than he hated his cancer, and that was saying a lot considering cancer was deadly.
“Maybe you could go price the lumber. I’ll stay here and keep an eye on the truck.”
“Get your ass in gear and stop being a pussy.” Ethan fisted my jacket and shoved me forward, causing me to stumble.
“Alright, alright, but if I die here, you know why,” I said, tugging my jacket straight since he caused it to be crooked.
“Dude, he has cancer. Do you think he has the strength to punch you? If he did, I would be impressed, and I’d watch you get your ass kicked by someone twice your age.”
“He hasn’t talked to me since I was fourteen, and the last time I tried a few years back, he slammed the door in my face.”
“Do you blame him? You were the biggest asshole. The asshole of assholes to his baby girl. His one and only daughter. The light of his damn life—”
“Okay, I get it. I feel guilty enough.”
“You should,” he said, but his tone was different, angry, as if he still hadn’t forgiven me either. I know he helped Luna after the shit in high school, and they had become close. Were they still? I wouldn’t know since he didn’t talk about her, but what if they fell in love? What if Ethan was Luna’s first?
Just the thought had my fists clenching. I was no saint, but Luna was mine. My brother’s knew that. There was a code, and I hoped like hell Ethan followed it because if I found out he went behind my back to steal my girl, I’d never forgive him.
Even if it would be my fault.
The automatic doors opened, and a burst of heat slid over me. It felt good. Damn, the weather was changing quickly, and it was only a matter of time before the rain turned to snow. Ethan and I always started off by the lawnmowers and worked our way down to the lumber section.
We liked the build−up and saved the best for last.
“Are we going to paint the walls in the cabin or leaving them as logs?”
“I’d like to leave them as logs, but honestly, I’m not sure if that’s smart considering how cold it is. We need to make sure it’s insulated.”
“Let’s look at paint colors.” Ethan guided us toward the aisle where the paint swabs were, and then he spun around on his heel, slamming right into my chest.
“Dude, you okay?”
“Actually, let’s go look at lights or fans. This aisle is slammed. Let’s go.” He tried to push me out of the aisle and into the next one over, and I started laughing from his outrageous behavior.
“We are here, it’s fine. Let’s just get this over with.”
“No, dude, it’s fine. It was stupid, let’s go.” He grabbed my arm, and I yanked it away. “What is your deal?”
He was acting strange.
He leaned down and angrily whispered, “I just don’t want to be in this aisle, let’s go. Come on, man.” He had a pleading look in his eyes, one that told me that he was serious.
“Are you okay? What happened? Do you…” I leaned in further and kept my voice low so no one else could hear us. “Did you have too much coffee again? You know I told you—”
“—No, man, let’s just go. Go, go, go, now! Right now.” He yanked me by my jacket, and I nearly hit an old man with a walking cane.
“Sorry, sorry. He’s unstable,” I mouthed, pointing at my brother that currently pushed me into the next aisle. We weren’t near the lights, but the wood stain now. This could work for the porch, but we were far off from needing supplies like this.
Ethan peeked around the corner as if the FBI was out to get him, and I snorted, picking up a small can of red cherry stain and tossed it in the air just like I did the apple earlier, and caught it.
“You okay?”
“I’m fine,” he said. “Just walk. Walk, walk, walk.” He ran toward me and pushed me again, and this time, I nearly dropped the stain.
“What the hell is your problem?” I said with annoyance. He was acting completely out of character.
“I thought I saw a spider or something. You know how I am about those things,” he said, still whispering as if the spider could hear him.
“You’re acting insane, Ethan—”
“Dad, what do you think of this color?”
I stopped in my tracks and looked left, the cans of stain in the way of the owner of that sweet voice. Ethan ran into my back and tried moving me again, but I held fast, planting my boots on the concrete ground so he couldn’t move me.
“It’s still kinda purple, isn’t it?” a deeper voice said, an older one. One that sounded like Mr. Nightingale’s voice.
My heart hammered, and my breath stuttered as I waited for the woman to answer.
“Come on, let’s go.” Ethan tried to push me down the rest of the aisle, but I was frozen in place.
“Crap, you’re right. Why do I like those colors so much? Maybe I should go with a light green or a grey. Oh, what if I did grey walls and then had the accent furniture—”
I stopped listening to her voice when I realized who it belonged to. My world tilted, and I had to shoot my hand up on the shelf to keep my balance.
“Whatever you want, Star, whatever you want.”
That solidified it. It was Luna. Only her father ever called her Star. She was home. She was here, and she was in the next aisle over. My feet had a mind of their own, and I didn’t walk, I ran down the aisle and turned left, then left again.
“Don’t!” Ethan tried to grab me at the last minute, but I yanked my arm out of his hold. Now it all made sense. He didn’t want me to see her.
Or he didn’t want her to see me.
I stood in the middle of the aisle, hearts in my eyes as they landed on Luna. Time warped, everything stood still, even my heart stopped pumping. My world stopped spinning, and all I could see was the smile on her face as Luna spoke with her father.
God, she looked beautiful.
She grew up. Her body was perfect. I smiled when I realized she was still short, she hated that about herself, but I loved it. She had full breasts, a small waist, and her ass was round and perky.
But it was that damn laugh that had me tripping over myself. A thousand memories, a million moments, but only one girl starred in all of them.
“We need to go, Easton. Now. We need to go right now. Please.”
My brother’s voice tried to control me, but my heart was in control now. I took a step forward.
“Easton,” Ethan whispered. “Easton, don’t.”
I took another step forward.
And another.
And the closer I got, the more I noticed about her. Her hair was longer but still curly and wild, just like her spirit, and it was plopped right on top of her head in a tangled mess.
“This is not a good idea,” Ethan said from beside me.
He was probably right, but I had to try, and if I was going to go down, I was going to go down trying.
And when I stood next to her and saw the soft blue-grey color in her hand, I could only manage to say the first thing that came to mind.
“That’s a nice color, Moon.”
And just like that, her bright smile vanished, quicker than a blink of an eye, and once again, I was the boy in high school, but she was the one holding all the cards.
Chapter Five
Luna
Moon.
I didn’t just hear that.
I didn’t just hear Easton’s voice from right beside me. I was afraid to look to my left. My mind had to be playing tricks on me. I shook my head and slid my eyes over to my father. The way his eyes were narrowed and his jaw was clenched, my assumption had to be right.
It was Easton.
There was only one person my father hated in this town, and it was the boy that made me cry in high school. The boy that shattered my heart before I knew what it was truly capable of.
“We were just leaving,” Ethan said.
I knew the brothers hadn’t told Easton we still communicated and hung out. It was a big secret, and I wasn’t sure how they kept it from him, but I refused to give it away now.
“Luna, please, I just want to talk,” Easton pleaded. His voice had gotten incredibly deeper, darker. Like a voice that could be recorded reading a book and send you right to sleep, having the sweetest dreams.
“Boy, she doesn’t want to talk to you. I’m surprised you still feel like that’s an option after what you did.” My dad gripped my arm and shoved me behind his back. “My little girl is not your walking mat. You’ve done your damage. Get the hell out of her life, Easton.”
“Mr. Nightingale, I just want a moment to talk to her, to explain, to apologize.”
I kept my gaze in the middle of my father’s back, trying to find the courage to look around him and get a glimpse at the man who— if I was honest with myself— still had my heart. I was scared though. I was scared that if I saw his face, I’d either smack his cheek or forgive him by throwing my arms around his neck and just forget everything.
But…
I couldn’t.
Ethan stood next to my father, and I glanced up, seeing his brown eyes staring down at me with concern. It hit me right then and there that I was being a coward. I needed to face Easton, and I couldn’t have everyone protecting me. This was my battle.
“It’s fine,” I whispered to Ethan and my dad.
“Luna,” Ethan said my name in a way that told me that I didn’t have to do this.
I knew that.
But enough time had gone by. I couldn’t be scared to face Easton anymore.
I had to do this myself, for me, and if I didn’t, I’d regret it. I was starting a new life, and in order to do that, I had to put Easton Moore behind me.
Forever.
I laid a hand on Ethan’s chest then stepped between him and my dad, slithering between the two as if they were guards.
Now or never, Luna.
I stood my ground and lifted my chin and stared into the bluest eyes I had ever seen, the same eyes that made me fall in love for the first time. “Can we have some privacy?” I said over my shoulder to the two men that I knew always had my back.
“I won’t be far. I might be old, boy, and sick, but I’m not afraid to kick your ass.” My dad pointed a finger at Easton, and I bit back a smile.
“Come on there, Mr. Nightingale, let’s take a walk, you and I.” Ethan slapped my dad’s back and turned him around. They slowly started walking in the other direction, then paused a few feet away. I heard Ethan start talking about what kind of drywall they should use for their project, and I gave Easton my attention again.
God.
He was achingly beautiful. It hurt to look at someone so damn good looking knowing they knew it.
His lashes curled up and fanned out
, enhancing his eyes even more. Every girl in the world would be envious of those lashes. It just wasn’t fair. Easton had dark hair, but the skater−boy swoop was long gone, and now he wore it short on the sides and just a little longer on top. He grew taller, broader, his muscles were thicker, and on his fleece jacket, I noticed a fire department symbol.
Of course he was a firefighter.
Hot and worked a dangerous job? What the actual fuck?
For some reason, that only made me angrier.
My eyes danced over his face then dropped to his chin. Like all his brothers, there it was, that damn dimple. He was clean-shaven at the moment and looked a few years younger than he really was. His cheekbones were chiseled, and his nose looked like it had been broken and reset once or twice. It wasn’t crooked, but the shape was different.
It added to his appeal.
This was a losing battle. Here I am, in jeans and a t−shirt, no makeup, and I didn’t brush my hair.
The one time I said, ‘no, it will be a quick trip to town. What are the chances of me actually seeing anybody?’ and of course, I see the somebody I hoped not to see.
“What do you want, Easton?” I asked, my voice less bitter than I thought it would be. I had thought of this scenario going down a hundred different ways but in the middle of the paint aisle at Lowe’s? Well, that wasn’t one of them.
In all the scenarios, I slapped him, screamed, cried, and told him I hated him. I wanted to see him hurt how he hurt me, but right now, I didn’t feel that.
I felt withdrawn, tired, and just ready to let it all go. I didn’t want to be his friend, and I wouldn’t be his foe. We would just be people that we used to know. That was it.
“Luna,” he said, and my body shivered. I hadn’t heard him speak it in so long and it sounded so different now. A man was saying it, and I hated that my body reacted. “I’ve been trying to get a hold of you. I asked your parents about you, about calling you, but that didn’t go over to well,” he cleared his throat and shuffled his feet.
Lying Hearts Page 4
