ELARA
“Are you sure you’re okay staying alone?” I asked Emmeline for what must have been the hundredth time as I adjusted the strap of my small overnight bag. “I can always call Romilly to come stay with you if you’d feel safer.”
She sighed dramatically, rolling her eyes in mock frustration. “I’m nineteen, not nine,” she said, reaching for the bag and shoving it into my hands. “I’ll be fine. And by the way,” she added with a sly grin, “say hi to Dave for me. I kind of like him. Wouldn’t mind seeing him again.”
Her words made my stomach tighten with unease. The idea of her getting attached to Dave didn’t sit well with me—not yet, anyway. “Sure,” I replied with a forced smile that didn’t quite reach my eyes. “I’ll let him know you said hello.”
I leaned down to press a quick kiss on her f
