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Scowling, Athena wrapped her arms around her legs and pulled them tighter to her chest. “I don’t know what you want me to say, but it’s not gonna happen.”
Harley snickered. “I used to be like you, you know?”
Athena huffed. “I heard enough about you to know that’s not true.”
Another laugh. “Have you now? What have you heard?”
“That you come from a wealthy family, and you moved out here to be closer to your uncle. He doesn’t have kids and you’re sorta the one who will continue his legacy.” When Athena glanced upward, she noted the way Harley’s lips pursed and the way she tilted her head as if considering what Athena had said.
“Not bad.”
Exactly. Athena wasn’t an idiot. People with money and a family would never be able to relate to her. The only ones who had come close were the Keagans and only because they had to raise themselves. But even they had each other to lean on.
“Except I bet Henry didn’t tell you the whole story. He couldn’t have. Mason isn’t exactly the sort to share that part of my life.”
Athena craned her neck to stare at Harley, her curiosity piqued.
“You see, my mother has to be the strictest person you would ever meet. She had expectations for me from the moment I was conceived. I had to go to the best schools, get the highest grades, graduate with the highest honors, and marry someone of status.” She dipped her focus to Athena. “Bet you can guess how that turned out.”
Athena’s eyes swept over Harley as if seeing her for the first time. From her pink hair to the tattoos, to the piercings, Harley was the epitome of a woman who refused to adhere to anyone’s expectations.
Harley released a sad laugh. “We’ve come a long way since the time when she sent me out here and threatened to keep my own trust fund from me. She even tried the arranged marriage route. But in the end, I had to make my own decisions. I had to take my own risks. I had to decide if it was worth walking away from a life I knew for something that might be better.” Her eyes narrowed as she stared hard at Athena. “Does that make sense?”
Shaking her head, Athena huffed. “I have no idea what the point of that story is where it pertains to me.”
“No, I don’t suppose you would. We come from very different worlds.”
“How would you know?” Athena snapped.
“One look at you and I can tell that you push everyone away. It gets lonely, doing that, you know. At the same time, it’s terrifying to let someone—anyone—get closer to you.”
She wasn’t wrong about that.
Harley continued, squinting as she stared off at something Athena couldn’t see. “The thing is, if you want to be happy, you have to allow yourself to let people in. It’s not as bad as you think. Trusting people is hard, but the risks outweigh the benefits. Take it from me…” She leaned back, holding onto the rail as she let out a groan. “Happiness finds you when you least expect it.” She flashed Athena a smile. “Don’t let your preconceived notions of how you think the world should be prevent you from attaining something you never thought possible.”
Athena wrinkled her nose, watching Harley disappear inside. What was that supposed to mean anyway? She might think she knew what was going through Athena’s head, but she didn’t.
Were there moments when Athena wanted to believe this could be her new home? Sure, but those moments were quickly and easily overshadowed by the fact that she would never belong. This place was filled with people who knew how to band together.
What did Athena know how to do?
Run.
Just like she’d run from that near kiss.
She sighed, burying her face in her knees. That’s all she was good for.
Athena had run from her foster life. She’d run from an abusive boyfriend. And she continued running because that was all she knew. She checked to make sure no one was around, then she rose to her feet and hurried inside. She couldn’t face Henry after what had happened. She needed a break to be able to clear her head. And that was what she planned to do.
* * *
Athena hid away in her room, fully aware that she was missing supper. As much as she wanted to join everyone downstairs, she couldn’t bring herself to leave her official sanctuary. Henry would be down there.
She was actually surprised that he hadn’t come up to check on her. If he did, she wasn’t sure what she’d do. Just the thought of having to face him made her heart race all over again. This kind of vulnerability wasn’t something she had ever thought she would experience. All the barriers she’d put in place had been to avoid the unknown—to avoid someone like Henry.
Maybe this was all an overreaction. Athena stared at the closed door, tempted to just go downstairs and pretend that nothing had happened. Clearly, that was what Henry was doing.
A knock on the door ripped her from her thoughts. Her whole body went stiff. Whoever it was hadn’t said a word. That could only mean it was one person. No one else would just stand out there after knocking.
