Chapter Twenty-Eight

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The first two things I notice when I wake up the morning after Adam's party are how rested I am and how over the moon I feel.

The clock in my bedroom informs me I've slept for more than an hour longer than usual. I know I slept deeply, because I don't recall waking up even once and I didn't have a single dream or nightmare that I can remember.

As for the over-the-moon feeling? It hasn't left me since I kissed Hunter at the boat launch, and I hope it never does.

I'll have to get out of bed at some point, but I give myself time to shut my eyes again and play back everything about last night, just like I did before I fell asleep. My goal is to etch the memory into my mind so it becomes impossible to forget even the tiniest detail. I want the loop of Hunter and me to overpower any other recent memory I have.

I lie there for about ten minutes before deciding to finally rise and shine. And shine I will, because I feel nothing short of radiant. Once I'm up, I find Mom in the living room with a book in her hands for once, instead of her laptop or phone. She's finally settled into vacation life, and I approve. Alfie is nearby on the floor and working at getting his treats out of a toy that holds them.

"Good morning," I call over to her as I make my way to the kitchen. I've woken up with an actual appetite today, so I bypass the coffee pot and go straight for the toaster.

"Good morning," Mom says. "Sleep well?"

"Better than I have in a while. I must have been asleep when you got home."

I'll confess that I one-hundred-percent dodged her last night. Mom spent the evening next door with Hunter's parents and some of their friends, and I got back before she did. I was still awake when I heard her come in, but I dove under the blankets on my bed and pretended to be sleeping when she tapped on my door, even though I wasn't.

"You look happy," she tells me. "Glowing, almost. Did you have fun at the party?"

The first reply that comes to mind is "it was the best night of my life," but I stop myself before saying this. Bursting at the seams with joy is sure to open the floodgate for Mom's questions, and I'd like to savor the serenity and peace I'm experiencing for a little while longer.

"I really did," I say instead, and busy myself with putting toast on a plate and bringing it to the table. With any luck, she'll leave it at this.

"You know, I was still with Melanie and Rob at their cottage last night when Hunter came in and mentioned he'd just brought you home." She pauses for a moment, and I pretend not to notice her examining me while I devour my breakfast. "That boy wears his heart on his sleeve."

"Oh?" I ask between bites. Mom should have been a private investigator. Now I'm certain what happened between Hunter and me is on her radar.

"He was absolutely beaming about something when he walked in and said hello." Mom fiddles with a bookmark before putting her book down. "Actually, his mood was a lot like yours is right now."

I try to keep a straight face at her mention of Hunter and how happy he seemed, but the amused expression on Mom's face tells me it's no use. She knows.

"It was a good night." This might be the understatement of the summer.

"Any plans for the day?" She's on a fishing expedition now.

"I'm not sure yet," I reply. "Is there anything you want to do today?"

As much as I love Mom and enjoy spending time with her under normal circumstances, I pray her answer is no. It might be torture if I have to postpone seeing Hunter until tonight or even tomorrow. I just need to say hello, hug him, and maybe kiss him again. Okay—make that definitely kiss him again.

"Not really. I'm a little tired from last night and probably the wine." She takes a sip from her mug. "Oh, I almost forgot. There's something for you here on the coffee table. I found it by the door when I took Alfie out earlier."

"Thanks." It has to be another letter from Hunter. I summon all of my willpower to stay put in my chair and eat my last two bites of toast, rather than immediately jump up to grab it.

Once I finish, I push my chair back and bring my plate to the sink, then head for the living room. The envelope on the table matches the one Hunter left me the morning he went into town. Mom doesn't know about the first letter, but considering "Cali" is also printed on this one in handwriting I now recognize as Hunter's, she has to realize this is from him.

"I'm going to go get ready for the day." I retrieve the envelope from the table before turning to make my escape from the living room.

"I'll probably go down to the lake in a bit," Mom says. "Have fun with Hunter today, but remember to keep it G-rated."

I am so caught. She's teasing me, but she knows exactly what's going on. At least my back is facing her so she can't watch my reaction.

"I don't know what you're talking about." This elicits a chuckle from her as I continue walking toward my bedroom.

I open the envelope once my door is closed. After extracting the piece of paper from inside of it, I start to read.

Cali,

I woke up and wanted to say hi, which meant I had two choices. I could leave you a note to say good morning, or I could stand outside your window and serenade you. Then I remembered the only instruments I play (badly) are the recorder and the harmonica, and I didn't want you breaking up with me because who wouldn't if they were woken up by that?

So... GOOD MORNING to my favorite marshmallow-charring shooting star. Can I see you today? Maybe you could bring your guitar over and teach me how to play so I won't be tempted to break out the recorder or harmonica another time?

-Hunter

A mental image of Hunter holding my guitar develops in my mind when I read the last sentence of his note. I would teach him to play in a heartbeat if he wants to learn, but I can't bring my guitar to his cottage. Not yet, anyway, since Paisley will recognize it the moment she spots it. My guitar is one of a kind, made just for me, and I've played it on stage at my concerts. It's also appeared in two of my music videos and one of my photo shoots.

I need to tell Hunter about that part of my life before the guitar can be anywhere within viewing distance of his sister. Just like he wanted to be the one to share his feelings with me, I want to be the one to share this information with him. Having Paisley say something as a result of seeing the guitar isn't how I envision starting that conversation.

I'll tell him soon. It might even be today, if I can figure out a good way to ease into the subject and what to say. As I mull over this thought, I place Hunter's note in the drawer with his other letter. Then I open my bedroom door and head for the bathroom to take a shower.

* * *

I'm out the door as soon as I can be after getting ready. I hear Hunter through the open cottage windows before I see him. From what he says, followed by what sounds like dice landing on a hard surface, I guess that he's playing a board game with Paisley.

I rap my knuckles against the wooden frame beside the screen door. Paisley yells to come in, even though I don't think she knows it's me who knocked. I let myself inside and find her and Hunter in the living room, sitting on either side of a table with a Monopoly board between them.

"Hey," I greet them. Hunter nearly drops the dice he's holding, but he recovers quickly.

"Hey yourself," he replies.

It's impossible to keep from grinning when he looks up at me, and I turn my head in hopes of obscuring this from Paisley. If yesterday was anything to go by, she'll cross-examine us until we spill our souls if she suspects something is different between Hunter and me.

"Am I interrupting your game?" I ask.

"We were just about to take a break." He gets to his feet and sets the dice on the table.

"We were?" Paisley looks perplexed. "You just bought Boardwalk."

"I need to stretch my legs," Hunter claims, and then he turns to me. "Want to go for a walk?"

"Lead the way."

Paisley narrows her eyes at us as Hunter strides ahead of me and out of the living room. I follow him out the door and around the side of the cottage, where he stops and holds out his arms.

"Come here," he says.

He doesn't need to ask me again. I'm there in an instant, reveling in what it feels like to have his arms around me and my head against his chest, and in the kiss he drops on the crown of my head.

"Thank you for the note. I couldn't wait to see you." My words come out muffled. I lean back a bit so I can raise my head to observe him.

"Me too." He strokes his thumb against my jawline, and his eyes shine with happiness.

There's something hypnotic about this, and something that prompts me to loop my arms around his neck and rise up on tiptoe so I can kiss him good morning, or maybe it's good afternoon. I have no idea if it's past noon yet, and the only thing about time that concerns me is how many hours it's been since we did this last night and how many hours we can spend together today. I've been wanting to feel his lips against mine again since we parted ways at my door last night. It turns out kissing him in the daylight, while the sun warms our skin and birds chirp around us, is every bit as magnificent as kissing him under the stars.

"I knew it. Next time just admit when I'm right." Paisley's voice jars me back to the world beyond Hunter.

It has the same effect on him. With much reluctance from both of us, we end our kiss. Paisley has appeared in the window at the side of the cottage, and she has a self-satisfied smirk on her face.

"Why are you spying?" Hunter asks. "Can you give us a few minutes alone?"

"Sure, as soon as you tell me why you both carried on about just being friends yesterday afternoon, and then kissed in front of everyone at Adam's party. I saw the video."

"The video?" I repeat.

"It's been on Instagram since last night," Paisley informs us. "I was waiting to see if you two were going to keep up the friend act around me before saying something."

"Who posted the video?" Hunter's cheeks are flushed. I have no doubt my cheeks match his.

Paisley shrugs. "Someone who was there, I guess. A few people shared it and other highlights from the party in their stories."

My first instinct is to panic. A video of me that can easily give away my location to anyone who watches it is floating around on social media. This is bad, considering the possibility of Dallas working with other people is being investigated and no one knows if I'm still in danger. The next thought I have is about needing to alert Elton and my publicist in case they aren't already aware, and how I'll have to go through Mom to do it since she has my phone. The media always asks for a statement when something about my personal life blows up online and on entertainment shows.

Then I remember something important. No one out here knows who I am, because I haven't told anyone yet. I wasn't decked out in stage makeup or a bright wig last night or any time since I've been here, and no one at Adam's party gave any indication that they recognized me. There's a decent chance the video hasn't made it past a group of Hunter and Paisley's friends, which means no one is talking about Cayden Indigo's summer romance.

It's okay, I tell myself. Stay calm. There's no reason to worry.

Hunter touches my elbow, which pulls me out of my thoughts and back to the present moment. We're still in a stand-off of sorts with Paisley, and she doesn't seem to be in a hurry to leave her post on the other side of the open window.

"If you're staying where you are, then we're going somewhere else," Hunter tells his sister.

"Aw, you two are off to make out in the woods." Paisley places her hands over her heart. "I ship this."

He ignores her and takes hold of my hand. His face still shows hints of pink as he leads me away from the cottage and up to the road.

"I think I just learned what happens when a younger sibling finds out you like someone," I say, trying to make light of the situation. I'd find it all pretty funny if it weren't for the video.

"I'm sorry about that." Hunter's voice is almost a groan. "She's okay most of the time, but she can also be a complete pain in the neck."

"I noticed you didn't deny we were off to make out in the woods." I shoot him a sly glance. "Is there any chance of picking up where we left off when we were interrupted?"

He stops walking. "There's an excellent chance of that. Should we check for someone with a camera first?"

I nod at a tree in the distance. "That sparrow over there looks like he might be hiding one under his wing. Should we be concerned?"

"Maybe. It depends on how many followers he has, I guess."

We're kidding around now, and I know the video of us kissing will be the furthest thing from my mind in a few seconds, but it's a good reality check. When I tell Hunter about the other part of my life, it can only be him who knows until I'm sure there's no one else out there who wants me dead, or until I'm back in L.A. with a security system and fence that keeps me as safe as I can be in my home.

I trust Hunter without question. He wouldn't reveal who I am to his friends if I asked him not to, and especially not if I explained why. But what if he slipped and said something that tipped off Paisley? He could ask her not to tell anyone, but I suspect she would confide in Brooke. And what if she or Brooke were to say something to someone else who doesn't know me and has no reason to keep my secret?

It will be game over for my summer at the lake if my location gets out online and Mom feels I'm in any danger. That can't happen—not when things with Hunter are looking up and I'm the happiest I've been in ages. Today isn't the right time to tell him.

"Should we risk it?" Hunter slides his arms around me. My heart begins its now-familiar tap dance when he leans in closer.

"Without question," I answer. My hands roam over his chest, and then up his arms. "Remind me where we were before Paisley caught us?"

I've barely finished speaking when Hunter's mouth glides over mine. When he captures my upper lip between his lips, every thought I've been having scatters to the edge of oblivion.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Hmmm... Is holding off on telling Hunter a good idea? Will anything happen with the video? I'd love to know what you all think! -Jenn


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