The three of us hug and cry, until the medic gently pulls us apart and wheels me away.
Chapter Sixty-Three
One week later, I sit on my porch watching the birds flutter around the feeder I hung from the corner. Smiling, I let out a long, peace-filled sigh. It’s over. It’s all over.
Abbie survived the gun shot, and when she’s well enough she’ll go before a judge. She did this exact same thing years ago when she was fourteen—stalked her father’s girlfriend, threatened her. Then at fifteen, she moved on to this girl who did falsely accuse Peter of drugging her drink. Abbie stalked her as well, resulting in a restraining order being filed. A year later, though unsolved until now, she actually attacked the girl who “stole” her boyfriend.
And now me.
She’s had quite the history of violence. But her family is rich, and they bought off whoever needed to be bought off to keep things quiet.
They tried to buy me off, too, and I refused. I filed charges and a restraining order, and I don’t know what’s going to happen to Abbie, but I hear the judge assigned to her case is a hard-ass, and so I imagine she’ll spend time in jail.
Manny, of course, isn’t being charged with my attack. But evidence is found that does link him to Rachel’s death. He also admits to forcing that high school girl into sex. It’s all so unbelievable. Manny, a guy I spent nearly a year with, is now in jail for rape and murder. I’m incredibly fortunate that I got out of that relationship fairly unscathed. Looking back now, I can see the warning signs of that side of him. The flares of anger. Those couple of times I really didn’t want to have sex but did it anyway because I didn’t want to put up with his temper. How naive and misguided I’d been. And how fortunate I am now.
A black sports car rolls through the campground, circling and coming to a stop in my tiny driveway. The door opens, and my heart picks up pace as Peter steps out.
I grab my crutches and stand up. “What do you want?” I immediately ask, not even waiting for him to speak first.
Taking his sunglasses off, he tosses them into the car and looks at me through the screen porch. “I wanted to check on you. You okay?”
His normal and concerned question takes me off guard, but I don’t respond.
He nods, taking a second to glance around the campground. “Nice place.”
“Peter, what do you want?”
With a sigh, he leans up against his car. “I’m sorry I kept Abbie’s history a secret. I was pissed Dad enrolled her in Ponce de Leon Academy. I hated her being here and acted like a giant ass because of it. I treated you and pretty much every person around this place horribly.”
I listen to him, but I don’t accept his apology. “You should’ve gone to the authorities, especially after my attack in the woods.”
“I know.”
“You can’t just treat people the way you do. It’s not right. You’re a jerk.”
In my peripheral, I see Riel coming across the campground from his fifth wheel. When he reaches us, he steps right in Peter’s personal space. “What are you doing here?”
Peter holds up his hands. “Apologizing.”
“Get the hell out of here.”
With a nod, Peter gives me one last apologetic look and then climbs in his car and slowly pulls away.
Riel turns to me. “You okay?”
“Yeah. I’d like to think Peter will be different after all of this, but I’m not sure.”
“I think the whole family could use some counseling.” Riel steps onto my porch, letting himself in the screen door. “How are you feeling?”
I hold out my cast and booted foot. “I’m good. I really am.”
“Physically, but emotionally?”
I smile. He sounds like my doctor. “Fine. Truthfully, absolutely fine. No nightmares. No jumping at shadows. It’s over. It’s all over.”
Riel tugs on the ends of my chin-length hair. “I’m glad. I’ve been worried.”
“Thanks, but like I said absolutely fine. The question is, how’s Mar?”
He sighs. “She hasn’t slept in her own bed for a week. She’s barely left my side.”
“Does she like the counselor she’s seeing?”
Riel nods. “She does.”
“What’s the counselor say?”
“Tiempo. Give it time. Mar’s friend called this morning and invited her to the movies.”
“And?”
“I just dropped her off. She seemed excited to get out and see her friends.”
I smile. “That’s good.”
His face softens to relief. “I know. I tried not to make a big deal about it like the counselor said. I went with the flow.”
“After the week she’s had, it’s a big step toward healing.” I lead him inside my place. “Time to stay? Wasn’t sure if you’re working?”
“Mr. Hamns hired a new deck hand and a new waiter for the café. He told me not to worry about shifts until Mar’s more stable.”
“A new deck hand? Bud’s gone?”
Riel nods. “Took a job on a fishing boat in Alaska.”
“Good, he gave me the creeps.”
“Hell, he was starting to give me the creeps, too. Always staring. Never talking. Weird dude.”
“And those sunglasses.”
“I know.” Riel pulls me in for a kiss, and for a few seconds we get lost in one another.
I pull away first. “So Mar’s gone for hours and you don’t have to work?”
The dimple in his right cheek appears. “What do you have in mind?”
I hobble into my bedroom. “It is only my ankle that’s broken.”
Epilogue
One Year Later
The best way to spend a hot, Florida summer day is on the beach. The whole gang agrees to meet at two o’clock for a picnic, games, and water activities.
Riel, me, and Mar bring sandwiches and chips. Gillian and Joe contribute cold drinks, cookies, and other snacks. Everyone brings whatever beach game or toy they own.
Gillian lounges under an umbrella, covered from head to toe in a beige, gauze wrap. She sports a wide-brimmed, straw hat with huge flowers stuck in it and red-framed, bumblebee sunglasses.
I laugh when I see her.
“What?” she says, taking absolutely no offense.
“When’s your next show?” I ask, speaking about her pottery. It makes her a decent income. Not a great income, but already an okay one.
“Key West in two weeks.”
I nod. “Count me in.”
Joe plants a kiss to Gillian’s lips, grabs his boogie board, and heads into the ocean.
“I can’t believe you and Joe are together. What’s it going on? Three months now?”
“Four.”
I strip down to my white string bikini.
From behind me Riel whistles. “Sexy.”
“See,” Gillian says. “I told you he’d love it.”
“No,” I remind her. “What you said was wear it now before I’m old and saggy.”
Gillian laughs. “That is what I said, isn’t it?” She scoots up in her chair. “Hey, how’s your mom?”
“She and Carl are still together.” This’ll be her longest marriage. “She’s working register at Lowe’s, and he’s been promoted to the shop manager.”
“Hey, that’s great!”
“They even moved a county over to give the whole family a fresh start.” At least my sisters won’t be raised with that family reputation like I was.
Gillian nods to Riel and Mar down by the ocean. “How’s MIT going?”
“Oh, he loves it, of course.”
“And Mar?”
I glance at her slender silhouette. “We love living together in the fifth wheel. It’s a shame their dad hasn’t been around to see what a great girl she’s growing up to be.”
“So what now for you three?”
“Same, I guess. I’m at University of Miami. He’s at MIT. We see each other when we can.” I don’t tell her that I applied to MIT again. I don�
��t want to jinx it. I got turned down the first time and am holding out hope for admittance this time around.
“Viola!” Mar calls, waving me down to the ocean.
“Be back,” I tell Gillian and run toward Mar and Riel.
Smiling, I take Riel’s hand. Even though we’re over a thousand miles apart, we’ve managed to do great at the long-distance thing.
Mar hands me a pink conch shell. “Gorgeous, huh?”
I smile as I remember the other conch shell she gave me when we first met.
Riel nods to it. “I think there’s something inside.”
“Yeah?” I turn it up and give it a shake. Out slides an MIT pendant. I look up at him. “I don’t understand.”
Riel’s dimples pop with a big grin. “You know I work in admittance, right?”
“Yeah.”
“I saw it come across the dean’s desk. You’re in. You should be getting the letter any day now.”
“What?” I whisper.
“You’re in,” he repeats, and my heart nearly stops.
Mar leaps into the air. “Yay!”
Riel grabs me up and swings me around, and we share a delicious kiss as the waves crash around us and Mar claps.
“You look stunned,” he says, carrying me into the ocean.
“I am. I never imagined…” I think back to my home in Tennessee and all that I’ve been through to stand where I am right now. “I’m going to MIT.”
“Yes, you are.”
“Holy shit.”
Riel laughs. “And I’ve found an apartment big enough for all of us, if you’re interested.”
“Yes!” I kiss him. “Yes! Yes! Yes!”
“So you’re not holding a grudge I got your scholarship and the Edwards Engineering internship?”
I narrow my eyes. “You bragging?”
He squeezes me. “Un poco.”
We go a little deeper into the water, and his hands get busy all over my body.
I kiss his neck. “You’re a bad boy.”
“Only around you,” he teases.
We kiss some more and he pulls back. “Forgot to tell you, there’s another internship, this one online at—”
“M&V Corp,” I deadpan. “I know.”
“Because,” he realizes, “you already applied for it.”
It takes us both a second and then we laugh.
“Viola, are we doomed to a life of competition?”
I kiss him. “I hope so. Because it’s worked well for us so far.”
“Yes it has,” he agrees.
Yes, it definitely has.
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Acknowledgments
Creating books is never a one-person show. It takes a team, and I have one of the best!
Many thanks to my first readers on this, Melissa Jolly and Kelsey Knupp. Without you two, Riel wouldn’t be the hottie that he is. ;)
To my agents, Jenny Bent and Gemma Cooper, thank you for your continued support and for making my dreams come true.
For my team at Entangled: Crystal, Liz, Kate, Stacy, Debbie, Riki, Melanie, Darya—I am one lucky author to work with such talent. Thank you!
About the Author
Shannon Greenland, or S. E. Green, is the award-winning author of the teen thriller, Killer Instinct, a YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers; the teen horror, Ultimate Sacrifice, a #1 Amazon bestseller; the teen spy series, The Specialists, an ALA Popular Paperback and a National Reader’s Choice recipient; the teen romance, The Summer My Life Began, winner of the Beverly Hills Book Award; and the teen romance, Shadow of a Girl. Her books have been translated into several languages and are currently on numerous state reading lists.
Shannon grew up in Tennessee where she dreaded all things reading and writing. She didn’t even read her first book for enjoyment until she was twenty-five. After that, she was hooked! When she’s not writing, she works as an adjunct math professor and lives on the coast in Florida with her very grouchy dog. Find her online everywhere @segreenauthor.
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