Restless Things: A Dark High School Romance (Folkestone Sins Book 3) by Samantha Lovelock

Author:Samantha Lovelock [Lovelock, Samantha]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-03-24T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

The drive home after Sunday ran inside and left me standing there feeling like an ass is both the longest and the shortest drive ever. My mind is reeling, and the rejection sits in the pit of my stomach like lead.

What the hell just happened?

Since it’s late, I enter the house through the garage so I don’t disturb my parents.

“Payne, honey, is that you?” My mom’s voice, ghostly in the nearly silent and dark house, floats to me from the library.

“Mom? What are you still doing up? Are you okay?” I sit down beside her on the couch, not liking the way the small pool of light from the lamp next to her casts eerie shadows across her face. Shadows that do nothing to hide the pain she’s obviously in.

“My leg’s a little sore tonight, that’s all. I couldn’t sleep and didn’t want to disturb your father, so I came down here to read.” She slips her reading glasses off and studies my face intently. “What’s happened?”

My mother is nothing if not intuitive. She can read people better than most, and with her truly good heart and ability to cut through bullshit, she’s a favorite confidant among her friends and family alike.

“Sunday and I—” I swallow thickly against the lump of uncertainty and anguish threatening to cut off my air. Swiping my hand quickly across my eyes, I try to smile at her, but it’s weak and tenuous.

And she sees right through it.

“Oh no. Tell me.”

Keeping the intimate details out of it, I explain how the four of us ended up at the beach today, and what happened between Sunday and I. When I get to the part about her reaction to my declaration in her driveway, my mom’s beautiful, soft gray eyes swim with sympathetic tears.

“I’m so proud of you for telling her how you feel, Payne. You’ve been in love with her forever.” The surprised look on my face makes her chuckle. “I may be your mother, but I’m not oblivious to what’s going on around me. I see how you look at her, how you’ve always looked at her.”

“Well, that’s embarrassing.”

“Stop.” She swats at my arm before grasping my hand tightly. “You want to know what else I’ve seen? How she looks at you. The little glances and secret smiles, all when she thinks you’re not looking. The two of you have been doing this dance for so long.” She sighs. “Give her time, Payne. That girl has had some pretty awful things happen to her, and I imagine she’s overwhelmed right now.”

“How do you—” I shake my head. “Dad.”

She tilts her head and gives me a small smile and nod. We sit together for a while longer, just sort of decompressing, the glow of the lamp a little island in the quiet dark.

Eventually she dozes off and I help her get as comfortable as she can be, cuddled up on the couch. Covering her in a soft cashmere throw blanket, I kiss the top of her head and shut off the light before climbing the stairs to my room.

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