Free Summer's Song: Pine Point, Book 1 by Allie Boniface Page B

knee.
    “You all right?”
    “Huh?” Mac grimaced. “Oh, yeah. Too many tackles in high school. Left me with no cartilage in either knee. Course I didn’t care back then. Told coach to wrap me up, and I’d play ’til I couldn’t move.”
    “And now you really can’t.”
    Mac laughed. “Hell, who thinks about that when you’re in high school?”
    Damian scanned the lawn. “Where’s Dinah?” He didn’t like it when she disappeared, even for a few minutes. Made him nervous to have her out of his sight. He supposed it wasn’t really fair to his sister, watching over her shoulder all the time, calling her back and interrupting her games of make-believe, but he couldn’t help it. He knew what T.J. was capable of.
    Mac hobbled down the steps and looked around. After a minute, he pointed to a grove of small pine trees. “Over there.”
    Damian shaded his eyes and saw the tiny figure. She waved her hands and talked to a chipmunk that sat on the ground beside her. He let out a tense breath. So quiet. Too quiet. Sometimes he wished she’d just run screaming in circles. Even on the soccer field, Dinah stood apart from the others, a silent statue who waited for the ball but never slapped her teammates in high fives or cried out when she twisted an ankle. He supposed she’d learned the silence from their mother. He didn’t like the idea.
    “Hello?” The voice came from somewhere around the front of the house.
    Mac looked up at Damian and winked. “Back here, Summer!”
    Damian ignored his buddy’s knowing glance and leaned against the railing as she approached. Part of him wanted to disappear inside the house. The other part wanted to pick up where they’d left off the other night, after the kiss and before the anger. He cleared his throat and ran one hand along the banister. She looked as good as he remembered. Better, even. One strap of her green tank top had slipped off her shoulder, and he stuck his hands in his back pockets to resist the urge to slide it up again. Or down.
    “Hi there.”
    Summer fixed the strap herself, juggling two white Styrofoam containers. “I brought some goodies.” She met his gaze. “Peace offering.”
    You can’t buy me off with brownies , he wanted to say, but the comment made him sound like an ass even inside his own head. Get over it. Not her fault she’s gotta sell the place.
    Mac had crossed to her before the words were out of her mouth. “Lanie’s? All right.” He dug into one container and came out with an enormous chocolate chip cookie. “Thanks,” he mumbled. The crumbs fell from his mouth.
    She offered the other one to Damian, and when he took it, he let his fingers brush against hers. “Thanks.”
    “I’m sorry,” she said under her breath, and Damian’s throat closed. God, she had bottomless eyes. Fifty different emotions shimmered under their surface, and for an instant he wanted to lose himself there, just plummet down into her invisible ocean and find a place to float.
    She stepped back after a long moment of silence. “Wow.” She leaned back. “It looks good. I didn’t get a chance to see the roof the other day.”
    “Sure you want to sell it?” He hated himself for asking, but he had to try. So much lay at stake if they had to pull up roots again.
    Her glance skittered away. “What choice do I have?”
    “You could subdivide it. You talk to Sadie about that? Maybe we could work something out. I could buy the piece with the farmhouse on it, and…” He’d stayed up thinking about it last night, trying to work out the finances in his head. It was the best solution so far.
    She looked away, across the tree line. “I did.”
    “And?”
    “Damian, it would take weeks. Months, maybe. I’d need an engineer. Someone to draw up new blueprints. Someone else to do an environmental study.”
    He stared at her. “So it’s not worth it.”
    “That’s not what I’m saying.”
    “Maybe not exactly. But it’s too much work for you,