“Alex, you don’t know…” She trailed off, because if she kept talking, she would cry, and she didn’t want to cry.
“I have known you for years,” Alex said. “You’ve always been kind, considerate, smart, determined, and stubborn. You have a good heart, and you’d never let anybody change you. That’s part of why I fell in love with you.”
“What if I can’t stop it, though?” Gemma asked, wiping at her eyes. “What if the sirens are making me evil, and I can’t control it?”
“You can,” Alex insisted. “You’re too strong and too stubborn. You can fight this. We will beat them. Together. I promise you that, Gemma.”
“You really think so?”
He nodded. “Yes, of course I do.”
“And you’ve really fallen in love with me?” Gemma asked, and Alex smiled at that.
“You think I would’ve spent a week searching for you if I didn’t?” he asked.
She laughed a little. “No, I don’t suppose you would.”
“I love you, Gemma,” he said softly.
“I love you, too.”
She leaned forward, kissing him fully on the mouth, and wondered how much longer she’d be able to do that.
TWENTY-SEVEN
Logic
Harper hadn’t wanted to go to work, but as Gemma pointed out, it would probably be good if she still had a job when this was all over. Just because her sister was a siren didn’t mean that Harper’s car insurance payment wasn’t due or that she didn’t need to save up money for college.
She’d gotten scholarships for school, but it didn’t cover everything. Besides that, she didn’t have a job lined up yet for when she left. Not that she was even sure she was still leaving. If she didn’t go, she’d lose her scholarship, but it wasn’t like she could just abandon Gemma with all this supernatural danger going on.
Harper winced when she thought about leaving for school. She hoped everything with Gemma would be solved by then. But now Harper would have to leave behind Daniel, who was apparently her boyfriend now.
Even if the new title made her smile, it would only make it harder to leave him behind. Maybe she should’ve corrected him before he left after supper last night. They were obviously dating, but the “boyfriend” label might be too heavy of a commitment.
“Okay, what the hell is going on with you?” Marcy asked, snapping Harper out of her thoughts. “You look like you’re having a stroke over there. You wince, and then smile, then scowl. Are you schizophrenic?”
“No.” Harper shot her a look. “I just have a lot on my mind.”
“You didn’t need to come in today,” Marcy said. “I usually handle Saturdays by myself, and thanks to it being the Fourth of July tomorrow, the library isn’t its usual happening self.”
Marcy gestured to the empty expanse of the library. Harper had been there for nearly two hours and had yet to see a single patron.
“Thanks, but I need the hours,” Harper said. “You can go if you want, though.”
“I know. But then I’d have to be out there.” Marcy shuddered as she pointed to the front window of the library.
The big glass pane that served as the storefront was partially blocked thanks to a massive poster explaining all the festivities going on over the weekend. But around that, Harper could see all the people walking by. Even Pearl’s across the street looked packed.
“It’s not so bad. You could watch the parade,” Harper teased. “Or I think there’s an ice-cream social this afternoon.”
“Gag me with a spoon,” Marcy muttered. “But that’s the kind of stuff you get a kick out of. You should be doing that. You and your sister should be eating ice cream socially.”
“I don’t actually know what an ice-cream social is,” Harper said. “And Gemma is grounded, so that’s a no.”
“You have other friends,” Marcy said. “Ask Alex or that Daniel fella.”
“Are you trying to get rid of me?” Harper asked.
“You are cutting into my nap time, yes,” Marcy said. “But I’m just saying that if you want to go out and have a good time, you should. You’ve been stressing too much lately, and it’d be good for you to have some fun.”
“Maybe.” Harper chewed her lip, debating whether or not to tell Marcy about Daniel, before deciding just to go for it. “Daniel did ask me to go with him to the fireworks tomorrow night.”
“Oooooo,” Marcy said. “Fireworks, eh? That sounds serious.”
“Marcy.” Harper groaned, but she was smiling and blushing.
“Oh, my god, look at you,” Marcy said. “It is serious. Are you and Mr. Tall Dark and Tattooed finally an item? Did you kiss each other with tongue?”
“Marcy!” Harper’s cheeks turned so red, she nearly matched Marcy’s sunburn. “It’s not … We haven’t kissed yet, but … You can’t ask me things like that. It’s weird when you say it.”
“Should I toss my hair and chew bubble gum?” Marcy asked. “Would that make you feel more comfortable?”
“I don’t know.” Harper waved her hands. “Maybe we shouldn’t talk about it at all.”