LITMIR.BIZ

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and rushed over to hug her. Despite the fact it was too early in the morning for her to show enthusiasm, she let me smother her with affection. “Welcome home.”

      “You too,” she said, strangled by my embrace. “But don’t tell me anything about Europe. It will only make me depressed that I didn’t go with you. Not. One. Word.”

      “It’s not like you were sitting at home doing nothing. A cross-country tour with the band is a big deal.”

      She rolled her eyes and shook her head to disagree. “Not compared to the UK, France, and Italy. I don’t want to know how much fun you had.”

      I pretended to lock my lips with a key, then topped up a cup of coffee for a guest and filled one for Sophie with cream. “When you said you would drop by to say hi on your way to the gig, I didn’t expect to see you this early.”

      “Doug forgot to tell me the show’s in Victoria not Vancouver. We have to catch the ferry at noon. I’m not happy about the early wake-up call, obviously. And apparently we’re staying tomorrow night, too, just to party. Sorry you and I can’t hang out until I get back. Is that okay?”

      “Of course. A gig in Victoria is exciting. Congratulations. Do you want something to eat?”

      “No thanks, but the guys do. Is your grandpa around?”

      “No. I let him sleep in since he had to do everything all by himself while I was in Europe.”

      “Not. One. Word.” Sophie pointed at me in a mock threat. “I seriously don’t want to know how awesome Paris and London and Rome were.”

      “Sorry.” I smiled and squeezed her shoulders. “The buffet is almost gone. Tell the guys to come in through the kitchen. I’ll make them something else.”

      Sophie raised the cup of coffee in silent thanks before she went out to the parking lot to let the band know they could come in for breakfast.

      The last two tables of guests were finished eating, so I cleared their dishes and headed through the swing doors into the kitchen. My neighbour Kailyn was seated at the pastry table, helping herself to an entire can of whipped cream. Kailyn, her dad, and her brother Trevor had lived next door since I was five and they almost always ate breakfast at the Inn. Although Kailyn was twenty-one and one year older than Trevor was, she looked five years younger and acted ten years younger because of her special needs.

      “You can’t eat that much whipped cream,” I said.

      “Yes I can.”

      “It’ll make you sick.”

      After some contemplation, she used her hand and slid half the fluffy white mound off the waffle and onto the metal pastry table. “Trevor came home last night.”

      “Yeah, I heard his motorbike,” I said as I cleaned up the mess.

      Trevor and I had a complicated relationship. We had been best friends as kids, but when he went to high school two years before I did, we drifted apart. Then, in my grade-eleven year, I developed a giant crush on him. It was weird. I loved him. I thought he loved me. But nothing happened between us. In the fall, I started grade twelve and he moved down to Vancouver to live on campus at the University of British Columbia. For my whole senior year he came home to Britannia Beach on weekends, but he was always busy with Search and Rescue, his friends, or spending time with Kailyn. I eventually gave up on the hope of a romantic relationship developing between us and moved on.

      “Kailyn, did Trevor say he was going to come over for breakfast?”

      “He left. With Murphy.” She opened a teen magazine and turned the pages, then, without elaborating, changed the subject to talk about her most recent pop-star crush, “Riley Rivers has a sister. Her name is Amy.”

      Unlike some of Kailyn’s favourite heartthrobs, I actually knew a little about Riley. He was talented, but what I thought was even more impressive was the charity work he did in third-world countries when he wasn’t on tour. I was interested in finding out more about him, but before we had a chance to continue the conversation the band piled into the kitchen and spread out on stools around the pastry table. Sophie’s boyfriend Doug hugged me. “Welcome home, Deri. How was your trip?”

      Sophie shot me a cautionary glare.

      “It sucked,” I said loudly for her benefit, then winked at Doug and whispered, “It was the most amazing experience of my life.”

      Sophie groaned. Doug chuckled and hugged her. “Don’t worry, babe. When the band makes it big we’ll tour all over the world.”

      “From Winnipeg to New York, then Tokyo,” she muttered.

      “Exactly.” Doug pointed at her to cement the point. “Positive intentions.”

      “Make it happen.” She shoved his shoulder. “I’m going to be pissed until it does.”

      “On it,” he promised before he encouraged Kailyn to stand and dance with him while he sang her a Riley Rivers song.

      “Doug’s in a good mood,” I said to Sophie as I made scrambled eggs.

      “Yeah. Weird, right? He’s been perma-happy since we went on tour. And I don’t know why since life on the road kind of bites.” She flicked my arm and raised one eyebrow in a suggestive way. “We passed Murphy and Trevor going the other way on the highway. When did he get home from California?”

      “Last night.” I served the eggs onto five plates and slid them across the table one at a time.

      “That’s interesting timing. Did he come over for breakfast?” She braced her boot against the side of the cupboards and leaned until her stool teetered on only two feet, balancing by resting her back against the wall.

      “Nope.” I leaned my elbows on the table.

      “Too bad,” she made a purring sound in her throat. Doug gave her a pseudo-offended look, so she said, “Don’t worry, babe. The ruggedly handsome outdoorsy type doesn’t do it for me.”

      He laughed.

      She kicked my leg. “I have a good feeling. I think you and Trevor are going to finally get together this summer.”

      “You should probably let go of that hope. It definitely wasn’t meant to be. He has a girlfriend now.”

      “What? When did that happen?”

      I shrugged, not really sure about the details. “Kailyn mentioned something about it a couple of months ago. I also overheard Murphy and his brother going on once about how hot she is.”

      “Hey, Doug!” Sophie shouted across the kitchen and interrupted the guys talking. “Did you know Trevor’s been seeing someone?”

      His smile disappeared and his eyes shifted between Sophie and me. “I. Uh.” He frowned, trying to figure out the best way to answer the question. “I.” He winced. “Maybe.”

      She shook her head and threw a spoon that bounced off his chest. “You need to mention shit like that.”

      “Sorry. I didn’t know about that rule.” He chuckled. “Next time I’ll tell you right away.”

      “You, of all people, know ignorance of the law is not a defence. I’ll deal with you later.”

      He smiled in a way that made it seem like he was looking forward to whatever her wrath for withholding information was going to be. He winked at her, then rejoined the conversation with the guys.

      Sophie pulled a bottle of purple nail polish out of her pocket. “I don’t get why Trevor still hasn’t asked you out. You were single all year.”

      I twirled a chunk of my hair around my finger repeatedly. “He obviously had better options. Her name is Lindy.”

      “Lindy Jacobsen wants to make a baby with Trevor,” Kailyn said.

      “See.” My face unintentionally grimaced

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