All That Really Matters by Nicole Deese (new books to read TXT) 📕

“Uh . . . is there some kind of purpling action going on here?” He waggled his finger between us.

I pursed my lips, heat flaring in my cheeks as Silas faced him and the rest of our curious onlookers. Truth be told, I was likely just as curious as they were to see how he planned to handle such a question.

“I think you all have more important matters to focus on today, Devon. Like putting on a shirt for starters.”

“Is that your way of saying I’m right, then?” Devon tried, his eyes brightening as his gaze ping-ponged between me and Silas.

Monica and Wren shared a not-so-secret smile, while Glo did her best to hold in a laugh. A losing effort.

Silas glanced back at me, his eyebrow arching with a question meant only for me. I gave a single nod, trusting his judgment.

He backed up a step, took my free hand in his, and stared out at our rapt audience once again. “Like for many of you here, Molly has become an important person to me this summer—it’s true.” A sensation like feathers trailed down my neck and spine as Silas’s pronouncement was met with obvious delight and excitement. “My hope in trusting you with this information is that you’d continue to show Molly the utmost respect as she continues to serve here at The Bridge.”

A quiet chant trickled from the back, working its way up to the front, increasing in volume. “Kiss her! Kiss her! Kiss her!”

Silas gave a shake of his head as I bit my bottom lip. When he twisted around, I fully expected him to apologize for opening Pandora’s box. But instead, he stepped in close, pulled me toward him, and planted a kiss square on my mouth, stunning the residents into near hyperventilation.

And me, too, for that matter.

“Now that we have that settled,” Silas said through a smirk, “let’s all get back to work. And, Devon,” he said and pointed at the prankster, “Shirt. Now.”

Devon whooped a reply as he jogged back to the guys’ place.

I lifted my iced coffee to take a sip, but as I caught sight of Silas’s devilish grin, I couldn’t stop smiling long enough to complete the action. After mouthing the words you’re in big trouble, I set the drink down and reached for the ten-pound binder of notes I’d taken with Val last night.

Just then the unmistakable sound of a young boy’s voice at my back caused me to stop flipping pages and twist around. “Whoa! Is this place a castle or something? Does Harry Potter live here?”

The kid was so out of context, running through the east lawn at Fir Crest Manor and not telling jokes behind a screen, that I almost didn’t recognize him. But I knew those freckles. And I knew that hair. And I knew that voice. “Tucker?”

He replied with a wild, toothy grin I’d seen a dozen times over the past three years. “Hey, Molly!”

If Tucker is here, then . . . I kept turning, my heart nearly bursting from my chest the second I spotted her closing the passenger door of an airport taxicab.

“Val?” But I was already sprinting toward her, already tossing my pink binder onto a mound of fresh mulch.

She pushed away from the cab, her balance a bit unsteady as she swung her purse over her shoulder and opened her arms for my incoming hug. A thousand emotions traveled through me at once. Val was here. Here! After three years of communicating long distance via every form of technology, we were both finally in the same place at the same time. In the flesh. And somehow, she was tiny—a miniature version of the woman I’d spoken to through a screen for so long. How did I not know she was so petite? The top of her head barely brushed the bottom of my chin. I loosened my bone-crushing embrace just long enough to squeal.

“You’re here! You’re actually here!”

She laughed that Tinker Bell laugh of hers. “Tucker was way too excited for his first plane ride for me to cancel, and his mommy had been looking forward to seeing her best friend in person for far too long.”

I pulled her into another hug as Silas moved past me to retrieve her luggage from the trunk and tip the driver before Val even knew it had happened. Of course, I still wasn’t sure how any of it had happened.

“Why didn’t you ask us to pick you up?” I asked, trying to sound stern when instead I just sounded squeaky.

“We wanted to surprise you.”

“Well, you succeeded! And it’s the best surprise ever.” I looped my arm through hers.

Miles couldn’t call her Video Val any longer.

The sun reflected in her pale green eyes. “We’re glad we can help. We know how important the next few days are—so please, put us to work however you need to. Tucker’s a great help.”

I laughed, because really, there were currently too many needs to name. After introducing her to Silas, whose arms were full of carry-on bags and checked luggage, I led her toward the campus, catching sight of Tucker breakdancing on the stage. He certainly wasn’t shy.

“He’ll fit in well here,” Silas said with a chuckle as Val scrunched up her face.

“He’s been awake since three this morning. I’m fully expecting him to crash hard by dinnertime.”

As we maneuvered through the east lawn, I stopped to look at her, struck by a thought. “Val, we were on the phone last night till nearly one in the morning. I can’t believe you caught such an early flight on so little sleep.” It explained why she felt a bit shaky on my arm.

“I’m fine, just a bit stiff from all the traveling. Nothing caffeine and a few stretches won’t fix. Oh—” She tugged on my sleeve, and I twisted to face her. “I think I found it, Molly. Last night. I found a strategy that might work for what we need to accomplish.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “After we hung up? Did you