Page 74 of Sugar & Shadows

Gabe

Iwalked toward the Drip Line, shoulders and feet weighted down.

Stella had left upset. Of course she had. And now I was officially the most deplorable person in history.

But the way Sabrina spoke in there and how she garnered excitement had inspired me. The thought of falling into old patterns held no appeal.

So when Stella had approached, I knew what I had to do.

It was fucked up, sure. And unease still gnawed at me.

But I’d let it go on for too long.

And despite how shitty I felt on that front, a small part of me was optimistic. The meeting had gone well; the townsfolk were responsive and engaged, no matter how much Bitsy blustered.

Inside the Drip Line, I waved hello to half the town, scanning for my parents.

Except my focus snagged on someone else completely.

Sabrina.

Talking to Ethan Calloway.

He was standing just close enough to make the scene intimate, and the way he leaned in was more than friendly.

His eyes never left her face. He was behaving respectfully, from what I could tell, but I wanted to fight him.

He was taller than me, but skinny in that marathon runner kind of way. I’d spent my life fighting with Nate, Sam, Josh, and Jasper. I’d knock the Brooks Brothers right out of him.

That thought replayed in my head and I frowned. What the hell? This wasn’t me.

I had no reason to hate the guy. Sure, he was a rich kid with a billionaire daddy. Yes, he got his job through straight nepotism. But he was a decent person.

He was involved in the goings-on of our town. He showed up for Maplewood. The house he’d built on the river was not ostentatious, and he’d blended in well. Came to meetings and events, lent a hand when needed. Sure, there were endless rumors and speculation about his family and the origin of all their wealth, but I took him at face value. But now, looking at his smug face, I wanted to beat the entitlement right out of him.

Sabrina was cool and composed. So put together. Like the chaos of small-town Vermont didn’t faze her at all. Her hair was slicked back, her lips a deep red, and she was still wearing that black dress that made my imagination run wild.

Ethan was still wearing his expensive wool overcoat. It probably cost as much as a car. Not a single flake of snow stuck to his hair or the fabric, like winter had politely stepped aside for him.

He leaned farther, one elbow on the bar, looking down at Sabrina with fixed concentration while she spoke. He didn’t rush or fidget. No, he seemed completely at ease.

Like she deserved his full attention. He was like that. He made the person he was talking to feel like no one else existed.

It was obnoxious.

And yet another trait that made me want to fight him.

But he’d always made my senses tingle. Just a little. He was too rehearsed, too polished. Like he’d been planning and practicing for his whole life. Like a robot who wanted to be a real boy.

He was probably praising Sabrina’s brilliance.

As he leaned in and spoke into her ear, jealously flared to life inside me and I contemplated going home.

But before I could back out of the place, Jasper called out to me, and every eye turned my way. Rather than the scrutiny I’d gotten so used to lately, their attention was lighter. Almost hopeful.

I approached the table where my cousins and Logan sat.

“Why do you look like you’re about to commit a felony?” He held out his half-drunk pint of beer, and I took it. “The meeting went great. Bitsy was humbled. You guys crushed it.”