Chapter 2

Okay, fine. I was the one who'd messed up first. Besides, mentally I was already pushing 30. There was no point holding a grudge against a 19-year-old brat.

Maybe Hugo really hadn't seen me.

Right then, the boarding announcement came on, so I hurried to the gate and deliberately walked ahead of him. He still didn't react.

Because I'd booked so late, I'd only managed to snag an economy seat. When I reached my seat, I ran into a problem. The overhead bin was too high, and I couldn't get my suitcase up there.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that the flight attendant was busy with someone else. I turned back and met Hugo's gaze for a split second, hoping he would help me out.

He looked at me for maybe one second, then broke eye contact, walked right around me, and headed straight for first class.

Wow. Okay. This time, I was 100% sure he was deliberately acting as if I didn't exist.

Some nice guy helped me hoist my bag into the bin, and I dropped into my seat, my cheeks puffed in annoyance. I fired off a sticker of an angry hamster to Hugo, then turned on airplane mode.

What was his deal? What was he even doing in Stavalon? Was he here on vacation, too? If he was, why hadn't he mentioned it to me?

The questions flooded my head. Somewhere in the middle of trying to puzzle them out, I fell asleep.

The plane touched down on time.

This trip back home was a spur-of-the-moment thing, so Mom and Dad hadn't sent a car. I wanted to surprise them anyway, so I didn't call the family driver.

I pinned my hopes on a ride-share app, but I'd underestimated Joslin's rush hour. There were over a hundred people ahead of me in the queue.

I was frowning at my phone, just about ready to cave and call the driver after all, when a luxury car eased to a stop not far away. The license plate was familiar.

Well, well. The car belonged to Hugo, who was also my neighbor.

I hurried over for a closer look, and sure enough, it was the Lodge family's driver, Mr. Moore. My mood instantly brightened. "Mr. Moore!"

He blinked in surprise. "Ms. Sutherland, you just landed, too? What a coincidence. You can ride back with Mr. Lodge. He's not out yet, though. You'll have to wait a bit."

That was exactly what I'd been hoping he would say. I handed over my suitcase and happily slid into the backseat.

What on earth was taking Hugo so long, really? What was he doing in there?

Just as I thought that, I saw him emerge from the terminal, his brows drawn together as he yanked open the back door. He froze for a second when he saw me, but he didn't say anything.

I scooted toward the far side, very considerately patted the seat next to me, and motioned for him to get in. He arched an eyebrow but still remained silent.

He wouldn't talk, so I didn't, either. The silence in the car gradually turned awkward.

At least Mr. Moore was chatty.

"Ms. Sutherland, did you just come back from a trip?"

"Yeah."

"Stavalon's a great place. It really has that old-town vibe."

I was a little puzzled. "How'd you know I went to Stavalon?"

Mr. Moore scratched his neck and said Mom and Dad had mentioned it. I didn't dwell on it.

My only issue now was that Hugo still wouldn't say anything. It left me feeling restless. I sneaked several glances at him, but all he did was sit there with his eyes shut and his lips sealed.

I flipped open the car's mini-fridge and spotted my favorite banana milk. I grabbed it in delight and was just about to twist it open when Hugo reached over, snatched it away, and shoved it back into the fridge. He even closed the door.

I gaped at him.

Since when had he become this stingy? I couldn't even drink a bottle of milk now? He was allergic to bananas, so the drink was obviously there for me.

I bristled and shot him a glare. He acted like he didn't see a thing and went right back to his fake nap.

Fine. He wanted to pretend we were strangers, huh?

I gave up on him, leaned against the window, and shut my eyes, too. I hadn't slept much the night before with my thoughts all over the place, so I was wiped.

What I didn't know was that the second I stopped looking at him, Hugo opened his eyes and stared at me for a long, long time.

…

When I woke up, I was already in my own bed at home. It was a little after 4:00 pm.

I dragged myself out of bed and wandered around the house until I found Mom in her studio. I padded over, sat down at her feet, and rested my head on her lap.