A Matter of Fate by Heather Lyons Read Free Book Online Page B

take a mind reader, though, to realize that Graham’s wondering if Lizzie has an interest in either of the twins. He looks so dejected I want to say something to clarify things to him, but he beats me to the punch. “Yeah, it is too bad.”
    Cora and I just stand there lamely as Lizzie blushes straight to her roots. “Well, I mean . . . they’re new, and it’s . . . .”
    “I get it,” Graham says.
    Desperate to change the subject, Lizzie laces her arm through Graham’s. “Think you could show me how to work a barbeque?”
    His smile is bittersweet but acquiescent. After they’ve walked away, Cora leads me towards our blanket nearby. “Talk to me, babe. What’s going on in that pretty noggin of yours?”
    I stare back out in the water. Vulnerable with Jonah so close, and yet so far away, I admit, “I miss him.”
    She digs in her straw tote for a pair of sunglasses. “He’s right there, you know.”
    Is he, though? I mean . . . is it really him? The Jonah I know?
    She sighs at my silence. “Let’s start with the easy questions. Just how long have you known him, anyway? I know from surging that it’s been a while. But just how long?”
    I tell her the truth. It takes a lot to surprise Cora, but she’s surprised now. “Point him out to me.” After I do so, she says, “You should go talk to him.”
    I slide my own sunglasses on, self-conscious about possibly being caught staring. Because I can’t help but stare. “It’s not that simple, Cora.”
    “It really is.”
    Ahem, the little voice mutters. Even Cora thinks it’s a good idea!
    Jonah’s caught another wave, one even bigger than before. “Look,” she says. “Do you love him? Because that’s sure how it felt when I surged.”
    I rub some sand in between my fingers. “Yes.”
    She’s surprised again. “Wow. I didn’t expect you to answer that question so quickly.”
    “You said you were going to ask easy questions. That’s an easy question.”
    “Then why are you so unwilling to go talk to him?”
    The night before, I’d dreamed about him. It wasn’t like the old dreams, though. This one starred a copy of Jonah who told me he had no idea who I was, that I was crazy for approaching him, and that I needed to stay away.
    It wasn’t really him, but it was terrifying enough to remind me of what I stand to lose.
    Cora motions towards the shallow water, where Jonah waits for Kellan to finish his ride. “He’s standing right there. Here’s your chance. Go.”
    Just as my hands grip the towel to push myself up, Kellan joins his brother and they leave. A dull ache in me expands with every step Jonah takes toward the stairs that lead up to the parking lot.
    Look at me, I want to yell. I’m right here! Can’t you see me? Don’t you know who I am? But he doesn’t look. He and his brother disappear into the parking lot and out of view.
    “That’s what you get for inaction,” Cora flatly declares. The little voice viciously agrees.
    A football whizzes by our heads, landing about twenty feet away. Someone calls out for one of us to throw it back. When Cora pretends she didn’t hear anything, I reluctantly go over to get it. As I reach down for the ball, I notice a key ring lying in the sand. I pick it up and turn the keys over in my hand—three keys next to a small, wooden surfboard. I’m just about to do a general surge to find a panicky person sans keys when I become aware of someone standing behind me.
    “It appears you’re quite helpful, aren’t you, C? Dismissing unwanted people, finding lost keys . . . .”
    I whirl around and nearly smack into Kellan. His hair is wet and disheveled, dark sunglasses sitting up on top of his head. He’s wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, his wetsuit peeled down low on his hips.
    Heavens.
    My mouth goes dry again. “These yours?”
    His fingers brush mine when they remove the keys, and my skin tingles deliciously. The butterflies beat against my rib cage, loud and strong.
    A smug smile slowly