rose off the cement patio and I swore under my breath. I'd really wanted to go swimming. Spend the afternoon lounging and lazing with Abby. And now it looked like I was going to need to hitch a ride back to San Diego.
I was halfway back to the casita when I heard footsteps behind me. I slowed, waiting for Abby to catch up.
“You move fast.”
The voice was familiar but it wasn't Abby's. I spun around. “What the hell do you want?”
Annika stood there, dressed only in her bikini and a pair of black flips. She held up her hands. “Don't attack me. Just listen.”
“I'm not sure I wanna hear anything you have to say.”
She was chewing a piece of gum and she snapped it in her mouth. “I'm not here to screw things up. I promise.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, right.”
“No, really,” she insisted. “I just...it was really important to my parents that I come. I don't know why. But my dad called me twice yesterday. Asked me again to come.” She kicked at the path with her flip flop. “And, I don't know if you know this, but things haven't been the greatest with my family since —”
Her voice trailed off and I knew what she was going to say. Since Abby had outed her to their parents. She'd been a total bitch to Abby her entire life but her parents had always just thought it was sibling rivalry, something they would grow out of. When the shit hit the fan with Annika pretending to be Abby and going after me, Abby had had no choice but to share with her dad exactly what depths her sister was capable of sinking to.
“You made your bed, sweetheart,” I told her. “Better get used to sleeping in it.”
“Are you ever going to forgive me?” she asked. She lifted her long hair off her shoulder and piled it on top of her head before releasing it. It was uncanny to watch, because Abby often did the same thing.
“No.”
“Look, I fucked up,” she said. “And I've apologized—dozens of times—to Abs. And she's forgiven me. Why can't you?”
“Because I don't have to.”
She sighed, a little defeated. “Fine. I'm going to go back to the casita. Hang out there. You go be with Abby. She was waiting for you at the pool. I don't want to keep you guys apart.”
“Since when?” That was all she'd wanted to do last fall when she'd come to my apartment, pretending to be her sister.
“Since the night I left your apartment.” She spoke in barely a whisper and I wasn't sure but I thought I heard her voice hitch a little.
I said nothing and walked past her, back toward the pool, back toward Abby.
She could go back to the casita. I was fine with that.
And I knew I'd be even better if she got the hell out of Tuscon and headed back to San Diego.
ELEVEN
“Where's the body?” Abby asked me when I surfaced.
I'd dived into the pool as soon as I'd returned, trying to wash away the sheen of sweat that coated my skin and the blanket of tension that had engulfed me when I'd seen Annika.
I threw my head back, slicking my hair off my forehead and swam toward her. She was in an awkward position, halfway between treading water and floating on her back.
“In the casita.”
“Did you stick her in the freezer? Or in the trash?”
“Freezer. No one wants to smell rotting flesh in the garbage.”
She pushed a handful of water at me. “You were an ass.”
I positioned myself next to her. “I know.”
“She's part of my family, too,” she said. “Like it or not, but she is.”
“Doesn't mean I have to like her. Or interact with her.” I grabbed Abby's waist, my fingers slipping a little on her sunscreen-coated skin.
“You do if she's here with us for the rest of the week.” She wrapped her legs around my waist and pulled herself into my arms.
I nuzzled her neck. “I don't wanna talk about it.”
I didn't. Between everything that went down on the baseball field to finding out that Annika had invaded our vacation, the last thing I wanted to do was dwell on any of it. What I really
I was halfway back to the casita when I heard footsteps behind me. I slowed, waiting for Abby to catch up.
“You move fast.”
The voice was familiar but it wasn't Abby's. I spun around. “What the hell do you want?”
Annika stood there, dressed only in her bikini and a pair of black flips. She held up her hands. “Don't attack me. Just listen.”
“I'm not sure I wanna hear anything you have to say.”
She was chewing a piece of gum and she snapped it in her mouth. “I'm not here to screw things up. I promise.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, right.”
“No, really,” she insisted. “I just...it was really important to my parents that I come. I don't know why. But my dad called me twice yesterday. Asked me again to come.” She kicked at the path with her flip flop. “And, I don't know if you know this, but things haven't been the greatest with my family since —”
Her voice trailed off and I knew what she was going to say. Since Abby had outed her to their parents. She'd been a total bitch to Abby her entire life but her parents had always just thought it was sibling rivalry, something they would grow out of. When the shit hit the fan with Annika pretending to be Abby and going after me, Abby had had no choice but to share with her dad exactly what depths her sister was capable of sinking to.
“You made your bed, sweetheart,” I told her. “Better get used to sleeping in it.”
“Are you ever going to forgive me?” she asked. She lifted her long hair off her shoulder and piled it on top of her head before releasing it. It was uncanny to watch, because Abby often did the same thing.
“No.”
“Look, I fucked up,” she said. “And I've apologized—dozens of times—to Abs. And she's forgiven me. Why can't you?”
“Because I don't have to.”
She sighed, a little defeated. “Fine. I'm going to go back to the casita. Hang out there. You go be with Abby. She was waiting for you at the pool. I don't want to keep you guys apart.”
“Since when?” That was all she'd wanted to do last fall when she'd come to my apartment, pretending to be her sister.
“Since the night I left your apartment.” She spoke in barely a whisper and I wasn't sure but I thought I heard her voice hitch a little.
I said nothing and walked past her, back toward the pool, back toward Abby.
She could go back to the casita. I was fine with that.
And I knew I'd be even better if she got the hell out of Tuscon and headed back to San Diego.
ELEVEN
“Where's the body?” Abby asked me when I surfaced.
I'd dived into the pool as soon as I'd returned, trying to wash away the sheen of sweat that coated my skin and the blanket of tension that had engulfed me when I'd seen Annika.
I threw my head back, slicking my hair off my forehead and swam toward her. She was in an awkward position, halfway between treading water and floating on her back.
“In the casita.”
“Did you stick her in the freezer? Or in the trash?”
“Freezer. No one wants to smell rotting flesh in the garbage.”
She pushed a handful of water at me. “You were an ass.”
I positioned myself next to her. “I know.”
“She's part of my family, too,” she said. “Like it or not, but she is.”
“Doesn't mean I have to like her. Or interact with her.” I grabbed Abby's waist, my fingers slipping a little on her sunscreen-coated skin.
“You do if she's here with us for the rest of the week.” She wrapped her legs around my waist and pulled herself into my arms.
I nuzzled her neck. “I don't wanna talk about it.”
I didn't. Between everything that went down on the baseball field to finding out that Annika had invaded our vacation, the last thing I wanted to do was dwell on any of it. What I really
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