“Do you believe that?”
“No, Kady, I don’t believe it at all.” I kiss her cheek. “Love you. Get back to work and I’ll see you in a little while.”
I head out of the bathroom feeling lightheaded. Nolan’s standing near the door looking grim. People are staring at me but fuck them and fuck this place and fuck Nolan and most of all, fuck myself.
Nolan puts an arm over my shoulders and steers me back into the parking lot. “My place isn’t far.”
“Make sure Kady’s safe, okay?”
“I’ll make sure. For now, I’m getting you home and settled, and we’ll figure out what comes next.”
I stare up at him. Home. My new home, with Nolan and my sister.
Because my old home is burning to ashes along with everything that made me who I was.
New start.
More like, no choice.
Chapter 11
Cora
“We should’ve burned that stupid trailer down a long time ago.” Kady runs her fingers over the granite countertops in Nolan’s kitchen and grins so big it’s like her face might crack in half. “Seriously, Cora, look at this place. It’s a freaking mansion.”
“It’s not a mansion,” I say, grinning back at her, mostly because my sister’s enthusiasm can be pretty stinking contagious sometimes. “It’s just a big house. A big, empty house.”
“Empty means it’s filled with potential. We’ve got our own rooms. There’s a huge TV and a pool table, and he’s got decent furniture even if he doesn’t really decorate all that much. We could make this place really nice, you know.”
“We’re sharing a bathroom.”
“Which is now twice the size of the bathroom we used to share.”
“Okay, good point. But he doesn’t have any food in the pantry and the refrigerator is filled with beer, liquor, and chicken breasts.”
“We’ll stock the kitchen. We’ll decorate the walls. Cora, this place is a blank slate.” Kady laughs maniacally and turns on the stove just to see the gas flame leap into being. She snuffs it out with a sigh and runs her fingers down the stainless-steel refrigerator like she’s stroking a favorite pet.
I have to admit that Nolan’s place is nice. I barely processed it the night before right after the fire because I was too catatonic and emotional to register anything. I pretty much curled up on his couch and stared at the TV until Kady came home and collapsed beside me. We slept on the couch together, and in the morning Nolan made us coffee and cooked us eggs and left to do his usual routine which probably involves breaking kneecaps and extorting small business owners.
Now I’m in his kitchen, sipping from his mug, and Kady’s staring around her like we’re standing in the middle of the Taj Mahal or something. It’s not the nicest house in all of Marietta, but he lives in a good neighborhood and allegedly both his neighbors are also in the Valverde Famiglia, which makes me feel safe. There’s a neighborhood pool and tennis courts and all those fancy amenities. He’s got a bunch of empty rooms, and although we don’t have beds right now, he promised he already has some coming and they should be delivered soon. It’s like he bought this place and set up camp in only a few corners, and the rest is essentially unused, just waiting for me and Kady to come fill it up.
I can almost forget about the fire and everything else.
“You two settling in okay?” Nolan comes into the room wearing joggers and a tight shirt damp from working out in the garage. He drinks a glass of water and looks from me to Kady, frowning. “What’s that look?”
Kady slinks up beside Nolan and bats her eyelashes. “My sister and I were just talking about your house.”
“I don’t like where this is going.”
“It’s barren, Nolan,” I say, trying not to laugh. “Like, really barren.”
“I keep things simple.”
“It looks like you’re a serial killer,” Kady says and makes a face. “You’re not, right?”
“No,” Nolan says and runs a hand through his hair. “What do you want? Just say it.”
“I want to decorate,” Kady says brightly. “Please, I promise I won’t make it too soft and feminine. I have a really good sense of design and—”
“Do you have money to do this decorating?” Nolan asks.
Kady laughs and smooths her hair. “Don’t be like that.”
“Nolan, come on, let her decorate. You’ll be happier if she does.” I’m trying not to crack up but it’s really hard. This situation is so beyond absurd and I know it’s crazy to ask him to let my sister fill his space with potpourri and black and white photographs or whatever she’s into these days, but watching him squirm is actually very entertaining, and besides, Kady could use the distraction.
“I’d rather not.” He holds up a hand before Kady can argue. “But how about a compromise. You two need new clothes, right? Kady, I’ll give you some cash, and you can go shopping.”