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With one last tug, Evie’s head pulls back even farther.
“Don’t. Hold. Back.”
She doesn’t.
Screaming, a blessedly delicious sound capped only by the sight of her mouth wide open, her eyes bright, Evie cries my name. When the rush of wetness stops, the pulses around my fingers becoming weaker, I kiss her one last time. Evie melts against me, which is fine. Better than fine.
This woman, clearly so strong on so many levels, needs to be held up by someone, and I’m more than happy to do it. Even if just for tonight.
Since neither of us know what the light of day will bring tomorrow.
22
Tristano
“What the hell is wrong with the two of you?”
My sister is not happy. And when Lusanne is not happy, everyone knows about it. Luckily, my mother isn’t here to gang up on me, because she always takes Lus’s side.
My dad ignores us, prepping dough for the day. I stopped by to talk to him about the menu for Friday night. Instead, I’m getting a full-on family reunion. Gian’s picking up food for his employees, something he does at least once a week. Lus, in her typical fashion, is here one day, gone the next.
At twenty-six, she’s more of a free spirit now than in college. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for her help with the restaurant. But one of these days she has to decide what she wants to do with herself, besides antagonizing me.
“It was his idea,” I accuse Gian.
Three seconds in the door, Lusanne shoved this morning’s copy of thePressin my face.
“Seen canoodling at the festival?” she says. Again. “When the hell do you have time to canoodle at Festa? I didn’t get to pee in three days.”
Gian packs the pizza he made for himself. With the door just open for lunch, it’ll be at least a few minutes until the regulars start coming in.
“That is not true.” He shoves our sister out of his way. “Saturday afternoon I distinctly remember you saying, ‘I have to pee.’ I think you were complaining then too.”
“I was not complaining.”
“You are always complaining.”
She hits him, thankfully leaving me out of the conversation.
“Anyway.”
Uh-oh, back to me.
“If that’s true, you’ve got to stop this, Tris. You’re obviously not getting into a relationship with Evie Fuller. Leading her on is just mean. And not like you.”
She gives Gian a look as if to say,But it is just like you.
If she thinks canoodling is bad, Lus should have been at the bar last night.
“I’m not leading her on,” I defend myself, sitting. So much for a quick chat with my father. He’s completely ignoring us, which isn’t like him.
“No? So you do intend to have a real relationship with your biggest rival in Bridgewater?”
My sister is a bit scary when she wields a knife, as she is now, chopping tomatoes. Long dark hair, fuller than most, and pulled into a topknot—nota bun, she’s told me—Lusanne’s eyes flash. She is a force to be reckoned with.
And I’m not in the mood.
“Here’s the thing, Lus,” Gian says in his most condescending voice. The one I hate when it’s directed at me, but am totally fine with when directed at one of my siblings. “When two people are attracted to each other, they can have—” he glances at Dad, who is still oblivious to us, “—relations. Without being in a relationship. I can explain in more detail, if you’d like.”
