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I grinned harder as hed under her breath “I’ve been told this It’s a problem, I know”

They laughed and the aardness melted

As we ate, Astrid told ht Press, a book publisher in Allston Davina tried to explain her job for the hundredth tiet my head around it Thankfully, neither could Astrid And they asked about Hartwell, even though Davina seemed tentative

“It’s beautiful” I ht, so I talked hn, so that’s been the latest excitement Oh, and we sporadically have trouble from a family called the Devlins Ian Devlin, the dad, he owns a hotel, some other businesses in town, the fun park, and he’s a shady character, to say the least He’s been trying to buy property on the boardwalk for years and has these crass plans to turn it into a five-star resort that a tiny percentage of the population could afford to visit His son broke into Bailey’s inn and attacked her, trying to find confidential inforainst her”

Davina and Astrid stared wide-eyed at me

“What?”

“It sounds like the setting to my favorite soap opera,” Astrid said

I laughed “It’s not as dramatic as it sounds That family is a menace Every town has one”

Davina looked at her half-e back there, aren’t you?”

“I … I live there I love it there But I won’t leave again You and Astrid could come vacation there in the su, Christmas … whenever you want me, I’ll come back”

My sister looked up, tears in her eyes Astrid grabbed her hand tightly “After Dillon died, I didn’t only lose her I lost you, and I lost Mom It was like our whole family fell apart”

Grief clawed at my throat “Da—”

“I’uilty I think we both know you’ve lived with that e I just … I need you to kno much it means to have you back”

“I need you to kno much it means that you would have me back”

“No ive you ain”