Page 30 of Sun-Kissed Fangs
Nell hugged her knees. “I don’t get how it’sstillan issue. Mason was clear about what he wanted. Everyone at the station said so. It’s his kid they’re keeping the money from, for cryingout loud.”
Harper was about to say that the people involved in this issue were more concerned withbeingright thandoingthe right thing when her eye caught on Nell’s wrist. She was wearing an oversized sweatshirt, the sleeves almost covering her hands, but one of them had crept up. Revealing a dark bruise.
“What’s that?” Harper asked. Nell yanked down the sleeve.
“Nothing! I just fell. Landed poorly.”
That explanation wasn’t uncommon. There were plenty of times when Nell had been wearing bruises and dismissed raised questions with the story that she ‘just fell.’
Sometimes it was true. And at other times, like now, she could only provide that hollow explanation if she wasn’t making eye contact.
“What happened, Nell?”
Nell cringed. Then glanced over her shoulder, making sure Lucas was still out of earshot.
“Nothing serious. I swear. New guy got too touchy a few nights ago. I told him to stop, and he didn’t want to, so I went to leave, and that’s when he grabbed my wrist.” Nell picked at a nail. “It was one of Colton’s friends. When he heard what happened, he demanded I apologize for being rude.”
“Please tell me you didn’t.”
Nell hugged her knees tighter.
Conflict had never been her strong suit. She was probably the sweetest person Harper had ever met, and it wasn’t doing her any favors.
When someone was cruel to her, she was more likely to fawn over them than attempt any kind of confrontation. The only people she could even tease were Evie and Harper, and it had taken a long time before she’d been comfortable enough for that.
“It wasn’t a big deal. It doesn’t even hurt that much.” A smile crept onto Nell’s face. “For what it’s worth, I doubt the guy will come back. Colton might have taken his side, but Maya didn’t. When she heard what happened, she kicked him out. Literally, it looked like.”
Though Harper had every intention of drilling further into Nell’s half-hearted dismissal, she couldn’t. The questions she’d been ready to fire off got stuck in her throat, transforming into a strained stammer.
Maya shouldn’t summon that sort of response. She wasn’t even present! And over a week had passed since that evening walk by the river, so these flustered reactions should have stopped by now.
The confusion in Nell’s eyes had just turned into excited realization when a groan sounded from the hallway.
“Are you whispering aboutdating?” Lucas trotted into the living room, homework in hand. Harper swallowed, reclaiming control of her voice.
“We’re just talking about boring adult stuff.”
She ruffled up Lucas’ hair as he sat on the floor. Nell barely looked at him. Instead, she was smirking.
“What?” Harper said, eyes narrowing in warning.
Nell pursed her lips. Then shrugged.
“Nothing. I was just thinking, since Lucas brought updating, that you might have something to share in that department.”
Harper’s face went hot, and it only got worse when Lucas looked up from his work. At eight years old, he was cemented in the opinion that anything related to romance was gross, but right then, curiosity outweighed ick factor.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Harper said. Nell nodded slowly, then covered the side of her mouth and lowered her voice.
“If Patricia finds out about you and Maya, I’m not going to help you.”
The heat gathering in Harper’s face heightened further. And whatever effect it summoned had to be obvious because Nell’s smile suddenly looked really fucking annoying.
Harper grabbed a pillow, intending to wipe off Nell’s amused expression by flinging it at her face, when the front door swung open.
Everyone stilled when Patricia stepped inside. Snowflakes clung to her long dark hair, frizzy and unkempt, and there were shadows under her eyes.
Homework forgotten, Lucas beamed and shot to his feet. “Mom!”
