d-don’t.”
“You do.” Bella waved at the others. “Come over here. Smell her.”
Kaitlin crossed her arms. “I’m not smelling anyone. Leave her alone Bella.”
“I’m telling you. She smells like syrup.”
“Stop it. You’re making her cry.” Jamie wrapped an arm around Emily’s shoulder and, to her horror, she realized she was, indeed, leaking tears.
“I-I’m not crying.”
“What’s that on your cheeks? Aunt Jemima?”
“Bella.” A warning growl from Kaitlin. This caught Bella’s attention, because Kaitlin hardly ever growled. “I think you should both go,” she said. “Emily and I need to have a talk.”
Bella put out a lip.
“ I didn’t make her cry,” Jamie protested.
But Kaitlin was adamant. She thrust a slender finger at the door. “Go.”
“All right,” Bella huffed. “We’ll be just outside in the hall if you need us.”
“I’m sorry about that,” Kaitlin said, closing the door. She crossed to the bed and sat, patting the spot beside her. “I told them I needed to come alone but they wouldn’t listen.”
“Because they wanted to grill me.”
Kaitlin’s bow-shaped mouth tweaked up. “A little. But they also care about you. A lot.” She cocked her head to the side in that funny way she had and studied Emily, her eyes slightly unfocused. “Something happened. Do you want to talk about it?”
Emily sat on the bed with a huff. “It must be nice to be psychic.”
Kaitlin snorted a laugh. “I didn’t need psychic powers to tell you were upset downstairs.”
“Really?”
She smiled and smoothed a red curl behind her ear. “You yelled at Drew and smacked Holt.”
“I did not smack Holt.”
“You smacked his hand. When he pointed his finger at you.”
“He shouldn’t have pointed at me. That was rude.”
“Yes. It was.” Kaitlin bit back a grin. “And you had every right to smack him. But it was out of character. Also, your aura was all…swirly.”
“Swirly?” Emily blinked. “What does that mean? When your aura is swirly?”
Kaitlin fixed her with a steady gaze. “Why don’t you tell me?”
“I-I don’t know where to start.”
“Start at the beginning.”
“The part with the dinosaurs?” A pathetic attempt at humor.
Kaitlin was gracious enough to chuckle. “Go back as far as you like.”
Emily sighed. “I went for a walk last night, to check out the tide pools and I met him.”
“Ash?”
“Mmm hmm.” Emily folded her hands in her lap and stared at them as she spoke, anywhere but at Kaitlin’s too-knowing eyes. “He invited me for a ride on his Jet Ski. We went to the island and the engine conked out and we had to stay the night in the cabin.” She glanced at Kaitlin, who blinked.
“I heard that part already. Why did you talk to him? We had a pact. To avoid those guys like the plague.”
“I didn’t seek him out. He talked to me first. It was only polite to respond.”
Kaitlin tsked. ”Your manners are going to bite you in the butt some day.”
“Why are you looking at me that way?” Emily knew that look.
“I’m sensing…”
“What?”
“Something different about you. Something…” She shook her head. “I can’t put my finger on it.”
Emily tipped her chin. She didn’t want Kaitlin putting her psychic fingers all over her secrets.
“So he talked to you and you responded because it was polite…”
“And because I liked him. And he seemed nice. So when he invited me out on his Jet Ski, I went.”
“And you got stranded at the island. And…” Kaitlin froze. Her lips parted. Her cheeks flushed. And Emily knew, just knew, she’d seen the truth. “Oh, Em.”
That was it. Just, “Oh, Em.” And a hug.
It was the hug she needed.
“Are you going to be okay?” Kaitlin murmured into her hair.
“I think so.”
“Was it… Was it all right?” Of all of them, Kaitlin knew her best. Kaitlin knew her secrets and understood why she avoided men. She’d been the one who had burst in, just
“You do.” Bella waved at the others. “Come over here. Smell her.”
Kaitlin crossed her arms. “I’m not smelling anyone. Leave her alone Bella.”
“I’m telling you. She smells like syrup.”
“Stop it. You’re making her cry.” Jamie wrapped an arm around Emily’s shoulder and, to her horror, she realized she was, indeed, leaking tears.
“I-I’m not crying.”
“What’s that on your cheeks? Aunt Jemima?”
“Bella.” A warning growl from Kaitlin. This caught Bella’s attention, because Kaitlin hardly ever growled. “I think you should both go,” she said. “Emily and I need to have a talk.”
Bella put out a lip.
“ I didn’t make her cry,” Jamie protested.
But Kaitlin was adamant. She thrust a slender finger at the door. “Go.”
“All right,” Bella huffed. “We’ll be just outside in the hall if you need us.”
“I’m sorry about that,” Kaitlin said, closing the door. She crossed to the bed and sat, patting the spot beside her. “I told them I needed to come alone but they wouldn’t listen.”
“Because they wanted to grill me.”
Kaitlin’s bow-shaped mouth tweaked up. “A little. But they also care about you. A lot.” She cocked her head to the side in that funny way she had and studied Emily, her eyes slightly unfocused. “Something happened. Do you want to talk about it?”
Emily sat on the bed with a huff. “It must be nice to be psychic.”
Kaitlin snorted a laugh. “I didn’t need psychic powers to tell you were upset downstairs.”
“Really?”
She smiled and smoothed a red curl behind her ear. “You yelled at Drew and smacked Holt.”
“I did not smack Holt.”
“You smacked his hand. When he pointed his finger at you.”
“He shouldn’t have pointed at me. That was rude.”
“Yes. It was.” Kaitlin bit back a grin. “And you had every right to smack him. But it was out of character. Also, your aura was all…swirly.”
“Swirly?” Emily blinked. “What does that mean? When your aura is swirly?”
Kaitlin fixed her with a steady gaze. “Why don’t you tell me?”
“I-I don’t know where to start.”
“Start at the beginning.”
“The part with the dinosaurs?” A pathetic attempt at humor.
Kaitlin was gracious enough to chuckle. “Go back as far as you like.”
Emily sighed. “I went for a walk last night, to check out the tide pools and I met him.”
“Ash?”
“Mmm hmm.” Emily folded her hands in her lap and stared at them as she spoke, anywhere but at Kaitlin’s too-knowing eyes. “He invited me for a ride on his Jet Ski. We went to the island and the engine conked out and we had to stay the night in the cabin.” She glanced at Kaitlin, who blinked.
“I heard that part already. Why did you talk to him? We had a pact. To avoid those guys like the plague.”
“I didn’t seek him out. He talked to me first. It was only polite to respond.”
Kaitlin tsked. ”Your manners are going to bite you in the butt some day.”
“Why are you looking at me that way?” Emily knew that look.
“I’m sensing…”
“What?”
“Something different about you. Something…” She shook her head. “I can’t put my finger on it.”
Emily tipped her chin. She didn’t want Kaitlin putting her psychic fingers all over her secrets.
“So he talked to you and you responded because it was polite…”
“And because I liked him. And he seemed nice. So when he invited me out on his Jet Ski, I went.”
“And you got stranded at the island. And…” Kaitlin froze. Her lips parted. Her cheeks flushed. And Emily knew, just knew, she’d seen the truth. “Oh, Em.”
That was it. Just, “Oh, Em.” And a hug.
It was the hug she needed.
“Are you going to be okay?” Kaitlin murmured into her hair.
“I think so.”
“Was it… Was it all right?” Of all of them, Kaitlin knew her best. Kaitlin knew her secrets and understood why she avoided men. She’d been the one who had burst in, just
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