I have no idea how long I’ve been out here in my own little world, but I’m sure Makenna will come looking for me any second, so I force my eyes open and yank out my earbuds. The combination of the sudden light and nearly perfect silence is a shock to my senses, and it takes me a second to fully adjust. The first thing I notice is the setting sun, casting a warm, golden glow over the trees swaying in the gentle breeze. The scene before me is calmingly beautiful, causing a smile to creep onto my lips.
Still stuck in my temporary state of euphoria, I pull my now-stiff legs off the railing and stand, stretching and smiling uninhibitedly. But as I turn to go back inside, my moment of pure soaring ecstasy crashes and burns. “Jeez, Wes! You scared me to death! Do you always stare at people who are blissfully unaware of your presence?”
“You’re kinda cute when you think no one is watching you.” He leans against the outside of the door frame and folds his arms over his chest.
“Happy to entertain you, but you’re off babysitting duty now, so there’s no need to check up on me.” I try to get past him, but he steps right in my path. Being so short without my heels on, I smack my face right into his chest. “I need to get back downstairs. Will you please move?”
He gently places his hands on my shoulders and looks down at me. For the first time since I met him today, I see sincerity in his gaze. “I owe you an apology.”
“You don’t owe me anything. I don’t even know you.”
“You know me enough to think I’m an asshole.”
I shrug. “You’re having a bad day. Happens to the best of us.”
“But I took it out on the wrong person. I’m sorry for that.”
I look up into his kind, aquamarine eyes. For just a second, I can see a glimmer of the person that Makenna described. I take a deep breath and sigh audibly. “Apology accepted. I’m sorry your birthday has sucked.”
“I owe you another apology, too. You just don’t realize it yet.”
Cryptic much? “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He releases my shoulders and walks to the edge of the balcony, pointing down at the ground. “I was down there, on a private phone call with my dad, and I just happened to look up here and saw your feet dangling over the edge. I went around the other side of the house to finish my conversation and then came up here to ream you out.”
“Why? Did I break a house rule or something?”
He smirks. “No. Nothing like that. I thought you were listening in on my conversation. I said some pretty mean things to you before I realized you were listening to music and couldn’t hear me. So even though you didn’t hear it, I still said it. And I’m sorry.”
This must be the Wes that Makenna was telling me about. I’m still not ruling out his bipolar tendencies though. There’s something endearing about him admitting something he said to me that I’d never know about otherwise. Honesty is a rarity these days. “Well, since you’re being honest, I should tell you that I did hear part of your conversation. You told your dad not to patronize you and then something about him telling her where you live. At that point, I cranked the music up. I know that wasn’t meant for anyone to hear, so I’m sorry, too.”
His phone rings, so he pulls it out of his pocket to check the screen. Whoever the caller is, he relaxes after seeing their name. “I have to take this.” I nod at him, and he walks to the other side of the balcony toward his room. “Hey, Allie. What time will you be here tonight? I really need to see you.”
I step back in my room, guessing Allie must be his girlfriend, but before I can shut the door, a hand slaps against it to keep it from closing. I jerk it back open to find Wes standing outside, still holding the phone to his ear.
“Hang on a sec, okay?” He lowers the phone and surprises me by reaching for me, pulling me into an awkward hug. “I’m sorry and thank you.”
“Mmmhmm.” My response is muffled by his chest.
He looks into my eyes for a split second before he puts the phone back to his ear. “Okay, I’m back.” Just before I shut my door, I hear him say one last thing. “Oh, I was just talking to one of Shane’s little friends.”
He may not have meant some of the ugly things he said to me, but it’s clear to me that he wholeheartedly believes the babysitter statement. Something about that makes me want to prove to him that I’m not a child.
“SEE, I TOLD you I’d end up alone. I’m so glad you came with me.” Makenna nibbles on a chip and nudges a bowl of car keys under the bed with the toe of her shoe. “Help me keep an eye on the stairs. Most people know they aren’t allowed up here, but that may not stop a drunk from trying. We have to make sure no one finds the keys.”