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Authors: Shana Norris
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make you take a step you don’t know if you’re brave enough to take.”
“ I think everyone’s afraid of that,” I said.
He shook his head. “My brother wasn’t. He dove into everything headfirst. He never doubted any step he took. He was always one hundred percent sure that whatever move he made, it was the right one.” He pulled at a piece of grass and twirled it between his fingers. “I’d love to have just a tiny bit of his confidence.”
“ Seems to me you have a lot of it,” I told him. “You didn’t hesitate to help me with my tire. You gave me a ride home. You managed to weasel your way into my tourist day and got me halfway up to this rock. That takes a lot of confidence, you know.”
Jude looked at me and smiled. He had a smile that made a warm tingle spread through me. No guy had smiled at me like that since the early days of my relationship with Zac.
Don’t get any ideas, I reminded myself. I was not in the market for a boyfriend. I’d arranged the end of my last relationship because it was too much stress keeping him from finding out the truth about my dad. The last thing I needed was to get myself right back into something where I had to keep secrets to protect my family.
“ I’m starving,” I said, jumping up from the rock. “You hungry?”
Jude stood, brushing his jeans off. “Yeah, I could eat. I know this great little place in town. And I promise, it’s on the ground.”
#
“ I was starting to think I’d have to send out an A.P.B. to find you.” Aunt Lydia sat on the couch in her little living room, with a magazine spread open on her lap. The TV was on, but the volume was muted. Had she kept the volume down in order to listen for me when I came home? Even my own parents didn’t keep tabs on me like that, except when Mom thought I should be studying to keep my GPA up rather than having something that resembled a social life.
“ I went out to see Asheville,” I said.
“ You could have called to let me know where you were,” Aunt Lydia said. It was late in the day. Jude and I had gotten lunch and then talked for a long time. He told me about Asheville and I told him about Willowbrook. Time flew by before I knew it.
The thought of calling to check in had never even crossed my mind. “Sorry. I’ll try to remember that next time.”
Aunt Lydia narrowed her eyes as she looked me up and down. “Who were you with anyway? Ashton was here with me, and she didn’t know anything about your plans for the day.”
“ I was with Jude Westmore.” I didn’t see any reason to keep it a secret from Aunt Lydia.
But her reaction showed that she hadn’t expected that response at all. “Jude Westmore? How on earth did you meet Jude?”
“ You know my first day here, when I got that flat tire a couple blocks over? It turns out that Jude was the guy who helped me. And then I ran into him at the party last night, and he gave me a ride home. I just happened to see him outside his house today.” I decided to leave out the details about Jude being shirtless and how long I watched him. “We got to talking and he ended up going with me to Biltmore Estate and Chimney Rock.”
Aunt Lydia sat frozen in place like one of the statues at Biltmore. Her mouth hung open slightly, her forehead creased into a look of confusion.
“ Jude Westmore went to Biltmore Estate with you,” Aunt Lydia said slowly, as if she was having trouble with the words.
“ And Chimney Rock,” I reminded her. “Though I didn’t climb to the top. Then we got lunch.”
Aunt Lydia closed her magazine and set it aside, unfolding her legs until her feet were flat on the floor. “Hannah, maybe we should talk for a moment.” She patted the couch next to her.
I sat down, smoothing out a wrinkle in the front of my skirt.
Aunt Lydia took a deep breath. “Hannah,” she said, “I would never try to tell you who you should or shouldn’t be friends with. And I’m not your mother—”
“ Thank goodness
“ I think everyone’s afraid of that,” I said.
He shook his head. “My brother wasn’t. He dove into everything headfirst. He never doubted any step he took. He was always one hundred percent sure that whatever move he made, it was the right one.” He pulled at a piece of grass and twirled it between his fingers. “I’d love to have just a tiny bit of his confidence.”
“ Seems to me you have a lot of it,” I told him. “You didn’t hesitate to help me with my tire. You gave me a ride home. You managed to weasel your way into my tourist day and got me halfway up to this rock. That takes a lot of confidence, you know.”
Jude looked at me and smiled. He had a smile that made a warm tingle spread through me. No guy had smiled at me like that since the early days of my relationship with Zac.
Don’t get any ideas, I reminded myself. I was not in the market for a boyfriend. I’d arranged the end of my last relationship because it was too much stress keeping him from finding out the truth about my dad. The last thing I needed was to get myself right back into something where I had to keep secrets to protect my family.
“ I’m starving,” I said, jumping up from the rock. “You hungry?”
Jude stood, brushing his jeans off. “Yeah, I could eat. I know this great little place in town. And I promise, it’s on the ground.”
#
“ I was starting to think I’d have to send out an A.P.B. to find you.” Aunt Lydia sat on the couch in her little living room, with a magazine spread open on her lap. The TV was on, but the volume was muted. Had she kept the volume down in order to listen for me when I came home? Even my own parents didn’t keep tabs on me like that, except when Mom thought I should be studying to keep my GPA up rather than having something that resembled a social life.
“ I went out to see Asheville,” I said.
“ You could have called to let me know where you were,” Aunt Lydia said. It was late in the day. Jude and I had gotten lunch and then talked for a long time. He told me about Asheville and I told him about Willowbrook. Time flew by before I knew it.
The thought of calling to check in had never even crossed my mind. “Sorry. I’ll try to remember that next time.”
Aunt Lydia narrowed her eyes as she looked me up and down. “Who were you with anyway? Ashton was here with me, and she didn’t know anything about your plans for the day.”
“ I was with Jude Westmore.” I didn’t see any reason to keep it a secret from Aunt Lydia.
But her reaction showed that she hadn’t expected that response at all. “Jude Westmore? How on earth did you meet Jude?”
“ You know my first day here, when I got that flat tire a couple blocks over? It turns out that Jude was the guy who helped me. And then I ran into him at the party last night, and he gave me a ride home. I just happened to see him outside his house today.” I decided to leave out the details about Jude being shirtless and how long I watched him. “We got to talking and he ended up going with me to Biltmore Estate and Chimney Rock.”
Aunt Lydia sat frozen in place like one of the statues at Biltmore. Her mouth hung open slightly, her forehead creased into a look of confusion.
“ Jude Westmore went to Biltmore Estate with you,” Aunt Lydia said slowly, as if she was having trouble with the words.
“ And Chimney Rock,” I reminded her. “Though I didn’t climb to the top. Then we got lunch.”
Aunt Lydia closed her magazine and set it aside, unfolding her legs until her feet were flat on the floor. “Hannah, maybe we should talk for a moment.” She patted the couch next to her.
I sat down, smoothing out a wrinkle in the front of my skirt.
Aunt Lydia took a deep breath. “Hannah,” she said, “I would never try to tell you who you should or shouldn’t be friends with. And I’m not your mother—”
“ Thank goodness
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