“There’ll be turns for everyone.” Jake was leading the crowd, but he stopped when he saw the three of them frozen there in place. “Am I interrupting something?” he asked, looking confused.
Evie didn’t know what to say. The kids were running riot, clambering over the couches and opening lockers, but she couldn’t look away from Starr—and the expression of pure betrayal in her eyes.
Evie felt a gentle hand on her arm. It was Noah.
“Why don’t you take Starr back to the inn?” he suggested quietly. “Things are so crazy here, and you’ll want a place to talk in peace.”
She nodded. “Right. Peace. That’s a good idea. Starr?” she asked. The other girl stared back at her, stony. “Please?” Evie found herself begging. “We can talk about this.”
“Fine.” Starr turned on her heel and walked out. Evie exhaled in relief and made to follow, but Noah stopped her.
“Are you going to be OK?” he asked, searching her face. He had such tender concern in his eyes, it just made Evie feel even worse.
Did she even deserve his sympathy?
“It’ll be fine,” she lied. “She probably just needs to cool down. Look, you get back to the party, don’t worry.”
She hurried away before he could say anything else.
Outside, she found Starr loitering on the edge of the crowd. The party was still going strong, but Evie didn’t feel like celebrating anymore. “I’m just parked over here,” she said, leading Starr to the car. Starr got into the passenger seat and sat there in silence for the short drive down to the Beachcomber Inn.
Evie glanced over anxiously, her stomach tied up in knots. Starr had always worshiped Glen, and when they started dating seriously, Evie became like a big sister to her. She’d taken his death so hard, but she and Evie had always helped each other through their grief.
Now it was clear, seeing Evie moving on with another man was the shock of a lifetime.
“How’s college?” Evie asked, trying to be upbeat.
Starr gave a shrug.
“You said you were enjoying your English Lit classes,” Evie tried. “How’s the new professor working out?”
“That was last semester.” Starr’s voice was icy. “I’m doing my science requirements now.”
“That’s fun.” Evie knew this was all going wrong, but she had no clue how to fix it. “Maybe you’ll find that a passion for microbiology runs in the family.”
“I’m surprised you even remember,” Starr said. “Since you’ve been so busy.”
Evie gulped as they pulled up outside the house. “So, this is the inn,” she said brightly. “We actually just got done with the renovation, so you’ll be one of the first people to see it!”
She got out of the car and went to unlock the door. Starr followed her inside. Walking through the finished space that morning had felt so joyful, but now Evie didn’t know where to look.
“You remember that trip the three of us took, visiting your grandparents up in Maine?” Evie asked. She was babbling as she led Starr through to the kitchen, but she couldn’t help it. “I think that’s where I first got the idea, to open a bed and breakfast. We stayed in that little inn by the water—the one with all the hunting trophies. And you had that awful bear head mounted in your room, and you couldn’t sleep, so we had to switch, and you got the big king-sized bed while Glen and I were stuck squeezed into the tiny twin. Do you remember?”
“I remember.” Starr’s voice was quiet. Wistful. “He was going to steal it, to teach them a lesson, but then the owner came in at the last minute, and he wound up asking for hunting advice instead. As if he could ever hurt a fly.”
Her voice caught, and Evie’s heart went out to her.
“I miss him, too,” she said, reaching for Starr’s hand. But the other girl flinched back.
“Do you?” Starr asked. “Because it looks like you’ve moved on completely. New life, new job, new man …”
Evie gulped. “I know it must be hard, seeing me with someone else,” she began, but Starr shook her head.
“Who is this guy?” she demanded. “How long have you been keeping secrets from me?”
“It’s not like that,” Evie said, trying to calm her. “I would have told you about Noah, in time, but it’s still really new.”
“It didn’t look new to me,” Starr said bitterly. “It looked like you two know each other pretty well. Unless you let strangers feel you up in public. But hey, maybe that’s all a part of your shiny new life.”
“Starr!” Evie gasped. “That’s not fair. Noah is a great guy—you’ll see, once you get to know him better. Glen would have liked him,” she added, but Starr recoiled at the words.
“How can you say that?” Starr cried. “It’s like you never loved him at all!”
Evie froze. “You know I did. I loved him more than anything.”
“Did you?” Starr demanded. “Because I’m looking at you now, and I don’t even know you. It’s like you’re happy that he’s gone. Like you couldn’t wait to be free of him!”
Evie’s stomach dropped at the harsh words. In an instant, it all came rushing back to her. That awful day, the police on her doorstep. The dark chasm that had seemed to open up when she’d learned he was gone from the world. “How can you say that?” she asked, tears already stinging her eyes.
“Because it’s true,” Starr yelled. “It’s how you got the money to buy this place, isn’t it?” she added, gesturing around them. “From the life insurance. It’s blood money, and I don’t know how you can live with yourself!”
“That’s enough.”
Evie didn’t know how long Noah had been standing there, but now he strode into the room. “I understand, you’re upset,” he said, his voice calm as he looked at Starr. “But you can’t lash out like this. Believe me, you’ll say something you’ll regret—if you haven’t already,” he added, sending a concerned glance at Evie.
Evie looked away, shame still cold in her veins. “We’re fine,” she told him, not wanting Starr to feel like they were ganging up on her. “Really. This isn’t your business.”
“It sounded like it was to me.” Noah was still gentle. “Where are you staying, Starr? I can give you a ride, if you want. The two of you can talk again when you’ve had a chance to calm down.”
Starr made a snorting sound under her breath. “Sure. I bet you can’t wait to get rid of me,” she said to Evie. “No pesky reminders of the past to give you a guilty conscience. If you’re even capable of that anymore.”
“Starr—” Evie’s heart broke at the sight of the hurt and betrayal on the girl’s face. “You’ve got it all wrong.”
“No, I had you wrong,” Starr snapped back. “I thought you loved my brother. I thought you missed him. But it’s clear, you never really loved him at all!”
Her words echoed in the room between them.
Noah stepped in front of Evie. “I think it’s time for you to leave.”