My heart raced with adrenaline. “I would beg to disagree. I think we have a lot in common. Like how much we both enjoyed that kiss.”

“Goodnight,” was all she said before turning a corner and walking out of sight.

“Maybe I’ll see you around,” I called after her.

But she was gone.

“Damn,” I breathed, rubbing my hand over my mouth.

That was a hell of a welcome.

THREE

Frankie

“Rise and shine!”

To my absolute horror, sunlight infiltrated the room and seared my eyelids. I threw the quilt over my head and groaned. For being a basement guest bedroom, there was entirely too much natural light for my liking.

“Get out,” I said weakly.

Mattie chuckled. The edge of the bed dipped down as she plopped down on it. “Giles is making breakfast. Come join us. There’s lots of coffee.”

“You couldn’t bribe me to move for all the coffee in the world.”

My head was ringing. I had woken up in the middle of the night and pounded a glass of water and two ibuprofens. It was helping a little but not enough.

“You should have left with me last night.”

I moved the quilt down to peek out at my sister. She was already dressed in a maroon sweater and dark jeans. Something about her being so put together right now irked me. It was like this mild hangover was a reminder of how pathetic my current predicament was.

“Are you really trying to lecture me at” —I glanced at the digital alarm clock from the nineties placed on the bedside table— “seven-thirteen in the morning?”

Mattie laid down next to me and looked up at the ceiling. “No. But you’d be feeling better right now if you’d listened to me.”

“Whatever,” I said, sitting up and reaching for the water bottle I’d set on the nightstand. My mouth tasted and felt like sand.

“How was the rest of the night?” she asked. “I was surprised when I beat you home. I almost called to check on you, but then I heard the basement door slam right as I was getting ready for bed.”

I rubbed my temple. Thankfully, the headache was already dissipating.

“It was exactly what I needed to get my mind off of things,” I said, my thoughts drifting to Oliver. He definitely had helped get my mind off things. He had been just as infuriatingly annoying as he’d been attractive. And a good kisser to boot.

“I’m glad it helped,” Mattie said.

Her look of sympathy made me want to curl up into a ball. I wasn’t the type of person people pitied. I’d been the top of my class, always popular, financially secure, thriving in my career. People always envied me. They didn’t feel sorry for me.

“I kissed a guy last night,” I said, wanting to change the look on my sister’s face to one of interest instead of sympathy.

Her eyes widened as she sat back up. “What? Who?”