Page 14 of Dead Pretty

I quickly change gears. “I went to the grocery store yesterday. They had those Caramel Apple Pops that we were obsessed with when we were kids. You remember them?”

“Yeah, I do,” he says.

I can hear the smile in his voice, and I’m glad that I put it there even if it was due to a lie.

It is scary to me just how quickly I pulled that lie about Caramel Apple Pops out of the air. I don’t even know if you can still buy them, to be honest. But I won’t overthink it.

“So, yeah, I grabbed a handful of them. They’re gone already.” I laugh. “And I checked out a new book from work, so I’ve been reading that. What else? Oh, I started a new show on Netflix called Stranger Things.”

Okay, so I got curious about it after Jack said how good it was.

It’s not been too scary so far. But I am only two episodes in.

Plenty of time to change my mind on it.

“I’ve never watched it,” Cole tells me.

“Not your kind of thing, to be fair.”

Cole is more of a movie watcher, usually action films rather than TV shows. I love a good binge-watch of a new television show.

“So, have you made any new friends?” he asks me.

That comes out of left field. Cole knows my reason for coming out here was to be alone. That making friends is not part of my plan.

I’m trying to not freak out that he asked the question. But it’s weird that I have only recently just met Jack and then Cole asks me that.

Not that Jack and I are friends.

Far from it.

Either it’s a coincidence or my brother is psychic.

I don’t believe in coincidences, so I’m going with psychic. He always does seem to know my business.

“Nope.” I let the P pop. I’m not fessing up to him, psychic or not. “You know that I’m not here to make friends.”

“I know. I just wondered if that had changed. You can’t stay away from people forever, Audrey.”

“Yes, I can.”

He sighs. “Isn’t there anyone at work who you talk with?”

Not more than a few sentences.

“Nope. That’s the beauty of working in a library. It’s silent. No one talks.”

“Audrey …”

“And anyway, I don’t need anyone, except for my big brother.”

There’s silence, and if I couldn’t hear him breathing, I would think the line had been cut.

“You know I love you, right?”

I smile. “Love you too, Cole. I’m going to head off now. A hot bath is calling my name.”

“Call me in a week.”