“I didn’t know you were there!” she snapped.
“I knocked and called out. Not my fault you had your headphones in and were singing like a scalded cat.”
“Sorry if my voice is not up to your mega superstar qualities, oh great one,” she snarled.
Seeing the fire in her eyes made him want to smile. He’d loved sparring with her. “Thanks.”
“For what?”
“Thinking I’m a mega superstar with excellent vocal qualities.”
He couldn’t be a hundred percent sure but thought she growled under her breath.
“I don’t think that.”
He pretended to look confused. “But you just said that.”
Her eyes narrowed, and she gave him a look that should shrivel his balls. Strange how they weren’t reacting that way at all.
“You’re doing that thing you always did to me, aren’t you?”
“What thing?”
“The ‘annoying the shit out of Faith’ thing. The ‘appearing genuinely confused when in fact you’re not’ thing.”
He smiled, and it was a genuine one. “Sorry, I guess it just comes naturally even after all this time. Maybe we should start again and forget the last hour. We could begin with you getting that stick out of your lovely ass and saying hello nicely. Plus, there’s the apology I deserve for that crap you yelled at me from my sister’s cellphone.”
She didn’t blush or lower her eyes. That wasn’t Faith’s way. Even if she was uncomfortable, she never showed it. “You deserved it because you made her cry.”
“That took me back to school days.”
“She deserves more from you than twelve years of neglect.”
“Eleven, and I wanted her to come see me many times and offered to pay to get her there.” Why was he justifying his relationship with Hope? It was nothing to do with Faith, even if maybe her words had some truth in them. “We saw each other a few times.”
“A few times,” she said slowly. “Before you left Howling, you and Hope were as close as Noah and me, then suddenly you were gone and she was alone.”
“This is no business of yours, Faith.” He said the words calmly, although the smile was now long gone.
“Whatever.” She flicked his words away with her fingers. “You’re here now, so that’ll make her happy, and that’s all that matters. So, forget about seeing me naked—”
“Not sure it will be that easy,” he said to annoy her, and because it was the truth.
“And we’ll be polite to each other,” she added, ignoring him. She then turned and walked away.
“What, no hug or ‘hey, Ryan, I missed you, really good to see you again’?”
She turned back, still glaring. “I didn’t miss you; she did.”
There was a hard edge to her voice now, and he wondered if what he’d done all those years ago still cut her deep.
“Faith—”
“Here’s a piece of advice free of charge for you, Ryan.”
“I can’t wait.”
“You may think you’re a big deal now, but you won’t get universal adoration here. We don’t care what or who you are. You’re just Ryan Lawrence, son of Millicent and brother to Hope Lawrence.” Her chin lifted, and she gave him a look that suggested she’d like to add a whole lot more but was holding back.