Chapter 3

Connor had no answer to that.

His gaze moved over me, already on Ethan's back, and his jaw tightened. He clenched his fists at his sides, then let them go.

A second later, he laughed.

“I can't manage it?”

“Please. Can't you tell? I don't want to carry her.”

“Go ahead if you want. Saves me hauling that deadweight around. Have fun, man.”

Ethan gave him a scornful look, then turned his head toward me.

“Nora.”

I stopped looking at Connor and turned to Ethan. Sunlight traced the clean line of his nose as he angled his face toward me.

When he spoke again, his voice was low and steady, as though what he was saying should have been obvious.

“Don't listen to him. You're not heavy at all. There's nothing wrong with you the way you are.”

For a moment, I didn't know what to say. Then warmth spread through me.

I nodded hard and spoke close to his ear. “Okay. I know, Ethan.”

His step faltered. Then he lowered his head and started walking faster.

He hadn't been kidding. Even with me on his back and a bag hanging from his arm, he moved quickly. Before long, Connor was nowhere in sight.

Ethan gradually slowed down.

I watched the back of his head. Thinking about Connor's attitude, I drifted back to a conversation with my best friend.

The week before, I'd cut my hand chopping vegetables. Both guys had taken me to the hospital, and my best friend had hurried over to see me.

We'd been talking for a while when she suddenly changed the subject and gave me a conspiratorial wink.

“Nora, have you noticed? I think both your childhood friends are into you.”

I was listening to a voice message from Grandma. Her words made me stop.

“Why would you think that?”

She pointed to the two of them sitting side by side outside the room and lowered her voice.

“You seriously haven't noticed?”

“Whenever you show up, they both look straight at you. They never took their eyes off you while you were getting that cut cleaned. Every time you hissed in pain, they got so tense they practically stopped breathing.”

I shook my head. I didn't believe her at all.

“That's impossible. Neither of them has ever said he likes me.”

“So if they haven't said it, they don't?” She sat straight up. “I'm telling you, they both like you.”

“If you don't believe me, ask them. See if I'm right.”

I glanced thoughtfully toward the door and met both their eyes at once.

I froze.

Connor immediately dropped his head, pressing his lips together in frustration.

Ethan frowned slightly and stood, looking straight at me. At six foot two, he blocked my view of Connor in his chair without meaning to.

“Nora? What's wrong?”

I snapped out of it and waved my hands. “Nothing, nothing. I was just looking.”

Ethan nodded, said nothing more, and quietly sat back down.