Page 40 of Secrets in the Deep

“No, you’re not. We’re not finished with this conversation.”

“I’mfinished with this conversation.” She reached the door, and when her mother tried to grab her arm, Emily quickly moved out of her reach. “Don’tfollow me.”

Then she stormed down the hall and out of the inn. She had no idea where she was going, she just needed to get away.

“You know red meat kills you?”

Ryan’s lips twitched as he glanced at the phone propped up on his kitchen counter. Nora was on a video call, but only because she’d insisted on seeing his face, something he didn’t actually think was necessary. “You’ve got sugar and chocolate on your counter.”

She pushed a lock of brown hair out of her face. “I’m making chocolate chip cookies.”

“But you’re still judging my grass-fed steak?”

“How else am I going to convince you to join my selective carnivore life?”

He chuckled, and it felt good to laugh.

His sister ate meat, just not red meat. And she didn’t actually care whatheate, it was just another way for her to try to press his buttons. “Jesus, it’s good to talk to you.”

She popped some cookie batter into her mouth. “Miss me, huh?”

“Always.”

“It’s good to talk to you too. Although, I haven’t missed the fact that that was your first laugh in our already twenty-three-minute phone call. Which is obviously not my fault, because I’m hilarious. Emily?”

Yeah, Emily. Who else? “We kissed again.”

Her hands slammed to the counter. “It took you twenty-three minutes to tell me that? When?”

“Two nights ago. It was like five a.m., we’d both been up all night on her set, and we just…”

“You kissed.” One side of Nora’s mouth lifted.

“Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t start dreaming up this world where we live happily ever after. This isn’t one of those movies you watch.”

“First of all, not all my movies have happy endings. The guy died in the movie last night, and I bawled my sad little eyes out and had to watch three episodes ofThe Great British Bake Offto recover. Second, you’ve kissed twice. You’ve loved her for a gazillion years. Why can’t this be a happily ever after for you two?”

“There are a million reasons, Nora.”

“Name one.”

“She doesn’t live here.”

“There’s this wonderful concept called ‘moving.’ Next.”

“She doesn’t work here.”

“Every work schedule has time off. And you could also go visit her on location. Next.”

He looked at his little sister. “She hates me.”

“Based on the two times she’s kissed you, I disagree.”

“She told me she doesn’t know how to forgive me for what I did.”