Free Wishful Thinking by Alexandra Bullen Page B

the gentle swirling of a ceiling fan and the echo of surf on the rocks.
    Hazel was about to give up when she heard the murmur of voices at the other end of the front hall. She tiptoed past a long wall of photos. There were a few of Rosanna and Billy, many of Billy and Buster the dog, and one of Luke with a woman who could’ve been Rosanna’s twin—clearly Luke’s mom.
My aunt,
Hazel thought with a shiver of disbelief. There was even a photo of Jaime, looking young and happy and sitting atop a carousel horse.
    The hallway wrapped around another wing of the house, and as Hazel followed, stepping carefully on the polished floorboards, the voices grew louder and more intense. One voice was much louder and angrier than the rest, and Hazel realized that they were coming from a door at the end of the hall. She saw a flickering shadow beneath the door and turned quickly on her heels, but it was too late.
    The door swung open and Jaime stormed out, her cheeks flushed and her dark eyes red and raw. Hazel stepped to one side, ready with an excuse of needing a bathroom break. But Jaime silenced her with a look as she passed.
    Seconds later, Luke appeared in the hall, his eyebrows drawn and his mouth pursed and serious. “Jaime,” he calledafter her. But she was already at the front door. “Jaime, wait!”
    “Leave me alone!” Hazel heard her call through an open window in the foyer. She could feel Luke breathing at her shoulder, and they watched together as Jaime disappeared into the woods.
    “She’ll be all right,” a fragile voice spoke behind them and Hazel turned around. Rosanna stood at the open door. She looked as put-together as ever in a cable-knit white cardigan and dark jeans, but her eyes looked tired, her skin tighter and drained.
    The room behind her was one that Hazel hadn’t seen before, and from the hulking computers and dark leather furniture she guessed it was Billy’s office.
    Rosanna put a hand on Luke’s shoulder and squeezed. “Just give her some time,” she said. Her eyes quickly landed on Hazel and she paused, as if considering whether or not she should say any more, and then stepped back into the office. The door snapped shut behind her.
    Hazel stood glued to the floorboards. Her blood was pounding in her temples, and she didn’t know what to say.
    Luke shoved his hands in his pockets and stared at the office door. His shoulders were slumped and he looked somehow smaller than he had the night before.
    “Are you okay?” Hazel asked. She felt like she needed to say something. After the way she’d run out on him at the bonfire, she at least owed him that.
    Luke looked up at her, as if he’d forgotten she was there. “Yeah,” he said, forcing a smile. “I think I just need some air.”
    Hazel nodded and watched as he started down the hall.
    “Coming?” he asked from the front door.
    Surprised by the invitation, Hazel hurried to meet him on the porch.
    They walked along the path to the beach, past the wooden staircase at the cliff, and onto a trail in the woods. The trail led to a clearing and a small pond that Hazel recognized from one of Rosanna’s paintings.
    Hazel stole sideways glances at Luke as they walked. His head was down and he seemed to be seeing nothing but the tops of his green striped flip-flops.
    “Sorry,” he said eventually, stopping at a crooked wooden dock that jutted out into the water. “Sometimes I just need to walk.”
    Hazel stopped beside him and followed his gaze down the dock. The pond was still and dotted with lily pads. It looked like something out of a picture book.
    “It’s okay,” she said. “It’s none of my business. You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to.”
    Luke shook his head and looked up at her. His light eyes looked cloudy and sad.
    “You’re going to find out eventually,” he said. “And you’re a part of things here now. It
is
your business.”
    Luke held her stare for a moment before shuffling out to the end of the