car pointed toward Hyannis Port, I started the conversation I needed to have with Josh in my head, and it only got me more riled up.
Tiny snowflakes stuck to my hair as I rapped my knuckles on Josh’s door. He opened it and looked surprised to see me. Had he really thought we weren’t going to talk about this?
I barged into the kitchen and pulled off my gloves. “I can’t believe you bailed.”
“You saw how everyone was all over me yesterday. It would’ve been ten times worse tonight with so many people there.”
“You couldn’t just suck it up and talk to them? To be there for me? For all the kids who wanted to show you the hard work they put into your programs?”
He marched past me and sat on the couch, holding his head in his hands. “I couldn’t breathe yesterday when they were all surrounding me.”
I took a few steps toward him and softened my voice. “Josh, that’s not normal.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” He snapped. “Why can’t everyone just leave me alone?”
“Because we care about you! You haven’t been yourself since the accident, and we’re worried—”
“Well, stop. Stop worrying, stop trying to help. You can’t.”
Every harsh word he spoke made my stomach knot tighter. I’d never thought Josh could make me feel that way.
“Is that really what you want? To push away the people who love you?” I asked.
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I just can’t deal with this.”
This meaning me? I didn’t want to ask that question because it would hurt too much to hear the certain answer.
I gritted my teeth to settle my trembling chin. “Fine. If that’s what you want, I’ll leave you alone to figure it all out on your own. You let me know when you’ve done that.”
I went out into the frigid night, and it didn’t feel any colder than the air in Josh’s house had been. I hurried down the stone path but stopped as my emotions battled inside me. I thought about going back, but what would that accomplish? Josh clearly didn’t want me around, and I didn’t think I could take any more of his frustration aimed at me. As much as I hated walking out on him, things were only going to get uglier between us if I stayed. I swiped my eyes and kept going, ignoring the pull on my heart that urged me to turn around.
Chapter Seven
With my phone cradled between my ear and my shoulder, I stirred the noodles boiling on Em’s stove and waited for Mrs. Cassar to answer my call. Five days had passed since I’d seen Josh, so I had been checking in with Mrs. Cassar to make sure he was okay.
“Hello, Dear,” she answered above the sound of people talking in the background.
“Are you at the restaurant?”
“It’s Thursday night, isn’t it?”
I smiled. “Yes, it is. I don’t suppose Josh is with you?”
“No, I haven’t been able to talk him into going out. He’s been staying to himself.”
My smile turned into a frown. The fact that he was still locked up in his house both worried and angered me. He couldn’t hide there forever, hoping to get better.
I set down the wooden spoon and tore open the packet of powdered cheese. “Has he still been out of sorts?”
“When I talked to him this morning, he seemed more at ease… not about to jump out of his skin like he’s been.”
Not at ease enough to call me, though.
“He’ll come to you soon, I’m sure.” Mrs. Cassar appeared to read my mind. “He just needs to get himself together first.”
I stirred the pasta again and blinked quickly as tears pricked my eyes. “I just miss him. This is the longest we’ve been apart in almost a year.”
“I guarantee he misses you, too. If there’s one thing I know about Joshua, there’s nothing he wants more in this world than to be with you.”
“I’d feel a lot more confident about that if I heard it from him. Things have been so off between us the past few weeks.”
“Coco, we hungry,” Alex said behind me.
I turned to see Quinn and him climbing
Tiny snowflakes stuck to my hair as I rapped my knuckles on Josh’s door. He opened it and looked surprised to see me. Had he really thought we weren’t going to talk about this?
I barged into the kitchen and pulled off my gloves. “I can’t believe you bailed.”
“You saw how everyone was all over me yesterday. It would’ve been ten times worse tonight with so many people there.”
“You couldn’t just suck it up and talk to them? To be there for me? For all the kids who wanted to show you the hard work they put into your programs?”
He marched past me and sat on the couch, holding his head in his hands. “I couldn’t breathe yesterday when they were all surrounding me.”
I took a few steps toward him and softened my voice. “Josh, that’s not normal.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” He snapped. “Why can’t everyone just leave me alone?”
“Because we care about you! You haven’t been yourself since the accident, and we’re worried—”
“Well, stop. Stop worrying, stop trying to help. You can’t.”
Every harsh word he spoke made my stomach knot tighter. I’d never thought Josh could make me feel that way.
“Is that really what you want? To push away the people who love you?” I asked.
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I just can’t deal with this.”
This meaning me? I didn’t want to ask that question because it would hurt too much to hear the certain answer.
I gritted my teeth to settle my trembling chin. “Fine. If that’s what you want, I’ll leave you alone to figure it all out on your own. You let me know when you’ve done that.”
I went out into the frigid night, and it didn’t feel any colder than the air in Josh’s house had been. I hurried down the stone path but stopped as my emotions battled inside me. I thought about going back, but what would that accomplish? Josh clearly didn’t want me around, and I didn’t think I could take any more of his frustration aimed at me. As much as I hated walking out on him, things were only going to get uglier between us if I stayed. I swiped my eyes and kept going, ignoring the pull on my heart that urged me to turn around.
Chapter Seven
With my phone cradled between my ear and my shoulder, I stirred the noodles boiling on Em’s stove and waited for Mrs. Cassar to answer my call. Five days had passed since I’d seen Josh, so I had been checking in with Mrs. Cassar to make sure he was okay.
“Hello, Dear,” she answered above the sound of people talking in the background.
“Are you at the restaurant?”
“It’s Thursday night, isn’t it?”
I smiled. “Yes, it is. I don’t suppose Josh is with you?”
“No, I haven’t been able to talk him into going out. He’s been staying to himself.”
My smile turned into a frown. The fact that he was still locked up in his house both worried and angered me. He couldn’t hide there forever, hoping to get better.
I set down the wooden spoon and tore open the packet of powdered cheese. “Has he still been out of sorts?”
“When I talked to him this morning, he seemed more at ease… not about to jump out of his skin like he’s been.”
Not at ease enough to call me, though.
“He’ll come to you soon, I’m sure.” Mrs. Cassar appeared to read my mind. “He just needs to get himself together first.”
I stirred the pasta again and blinked quickly as tears pricked my eyes. “I just miss him. This is the longest we’ve been apart in almost a year.”
“I guarantee he misses you, too. If there’s one thing I know about Joshua, there’s nothing he wants more in this world than to be with you.”
“I’d feel a lot more confident about that if I heard it from him. Things have been so off between us the past few weeks.”
“Coco, we hungry,” Alex said behind me.
I turned to see Quinn and him climbing
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