Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown

Author:Anne Greenwood Brown [Brown, Anne Greenwood]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 978-0-375-98908-7
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2012-06-11T16:00:00+00:00

20

PINK

Mrs. Boyd had the door to the café propped open, and the cool morning air blew in. Lily and I sat at a small circular table with a stack of paper napkins and a bin of freshly washed silverware in front of us. Our hands bumped as we took turns reaching for knives and forks to roll in the napkins. I tried to make it seem accidental, but it was a well-planned maneuver. A half hour later we’d amassed a small pile of table settings between us. Neither of us spoke.

I wondered if she was still irritated with me for leaving the campfire so rudely. That would be fair. I was still pissed that she’d let Jack Pettit get so close. Was she blind? Couldn’t she see what he was after? The guy was about as subtle as a harpoon. If she’d been given the choice, would she have gone to that party with him?

Or maybe she was mad because she knew I was lying to her. That would be fair, too.

Lily carried the tray of silverware behind the counter. I scraped my chair back across the floor and followed close behind.

“What are you doing after work today?” I asked.

“Who wants to know?”

“I was thinking maybe we could do something.”

Lily turned, dropped the tray on the counter with a clatter, and put her hands on her hips. “Depends. Are you going to run out on me again?”

“I said I was sorry about that.”

“And you’re not going to tell me anything?”

“No.” I reached out, and she didn’t object when I dragged my fingers down her arm, shoulder to wrist. She gave a small shiver and turned away from me. “But only because there’s nothing to tell.”

She pressed her finger to her lips as a bunch of boys came in the door, kicking their skateboards up into their hands. Clustering around a table, they emptied their pockets and pooled their quarters and dimes. Two came up to the counter and ordered a large mint mocha latte.

Mrs. Boyd had a basket of apples on the counter, and I cut one into sections while Lily made their drink. I grabbed a salt shaker and dusted the slices.

“You’re salting an apple?” Lily asked with interest. She snapped a cover onto the paper cup and handed it to the shorter of the boys.

I wiggled my eyebrows at her, and she shook her head. She opened her mouth to say something more, when the door swung open and the bell rang out.

Jack and Gabrielle strolled in as the skateboarders left. The look on Gabrielle’s face was priceless—something between surprise and satisfaction. She sucked her teeth and raised her eyebrows at Lily. In contrast, I could smell the testosterone rolling off Jack. The muscle in his jaw bulged as he clenched his teeth.

“Hi, guys,” said Lily. I looked at her sharply. Her bright tone confirmed her cluelessness when it came to this guy.

“Hi, Calder,” said Gabrielle. She leaned her body over the counter and let her V-neck T-shirt hang open.

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