One corner of Kimber’s mouth rose in a wry smile. “In other words, you wish I would butt out?”

“Nah,” I told her, returning her smile. “It’s nice to have someone to talk to about it. Even if you do give conflicting advice.”

Kimber examined the perfectly polished hand the manicurist had just released. “I’d whap you upside the head, only I don’t want to ruin my nails.”

“Ditto,” I said.

Chapter nine

Kimber wanted to visit a little tea shop just down the road from the spa, and I wasn’t anxious to return to my safe house. I had to ask my dad for permission, since I needed him to come with me to act as a bodyguard. I don’t think I’d asked my mom permission for anything since I was about eight. She’d generally been too drunk to care what I did, and though I was glad her brain was no longer pickling in a sea of alcohol, there was a part of me that really missed the freedom I had once taken for granted.

Luckily, Dad said he had the whole afternoon free, so there was no reason he couldn’t keep watch over me for a while longer.

The tea shop was kind of like a Starbucks or Caribou Coffee would be in the United States, with a ton of varieties of tea available for sale by the pound, and a counter where you could order something on the spot. There was a patio-like area to the right of the shop, which featured a number of round outdoor tables with umbrellas. In the States, those umbrellas would be to shade the customers from the sun. In Avalon, I think they were more likely meant to keep off the rain.

Kimber, who had been on a crusade to convert me to the Church of Tea, insisted I try a variety called “Faerie Rose.”

“It’s called that because the roses used for it come from Faerie,” she told me.

“Eww,” I said, wrinkling up my nose. “Who wants to drink roses?”

She gave me a patronizing look. “Trust me, it won’t taste like roses.”

If the place had offered coffee, I would have stood firm, but they didn’t, so I let Kimber browbeat me. The tea was the color of a blush wine, and when I sniffed it, I practically sneezed at the strength of the rose smell.

“Trust me,” Kimber said again as we headed out to one of the sheltered tables. It wasn’t raining at the moment, but the sky was a bleak, solid gray, and the air felt damp. If a day went by without at least a sprinkling of rain in Avalon, that was probably a sign of the Apocalypse.

Neither my dad nor Finn had ordered tea—I think it was against the bodyguard code—and when they followed us outside, they each stood just far enough away that Kimber and I could talk in private, as long as we kept our voices down.

As I blew on my tea—more to stall having to drink it than to cool it down—Kimber glanced over at Finn, then turned to me with a smile. Finn was in his Secret Service Man mode today, wearing a bland dark suit and dark glasses that hid his striking eyes. But Kimber had seen his less formal look, and had made no secret of how much she appreciated the view.

She leaned forward, the smile turning into a grin. “If I hadn’t seen Finn without those glasses, I’d wonder if Keane was adopted.”

I stifled a laugh. It was true that Keane and Finn were polar opposites in the looks department. Especially when Finn was on duty, when his look was extra-ultra-conservative. I couldn’t help thinking Keane had created his bad-boy look as a way of rebelling against his father, though Finn showed no sign of minding.

“There’s more of a resemblance than you might think,” I said, then finally took a sip of my tea, bracing myself for it to taste disgusting.

Weirdly, although the smell of rose was as strong as ever, the taste of the tea was all spice and honey. No spice I could recognize, mind you, but it didn’t taste like roses at all. I took another sip and rolled it around my tongue.

“Well?” Kimber asked with a smug smile.

I shrugged and swallowed my sip. “You were right: it doesn’t taste like roses.” I still wasn’t sure I liked it, but I could drink it without gagging.

“Of course I was right. Being right is my specialty.” She took a sip of her own tea, then stole another glance at Finn. “So you were saying there’s more of a resemblance than I’m seeing…?”

I nodded. “If you see them right next to each other and you ignore Keane’s dye job, you can definitely tell they’re related.”

She looked unconvinced. “I saw them next to each other at the party,” she reminded me.

I couldn’t help making a face at the memory. I hadn’t seen Keane since. I hoped his wounded pride was all healed up. “You saw them in a dark nightclub, and Finn was so pissed off he was scary. I don’t think you were comparing their looks. Oh, and by the way, I’m sorry Keane was such an asshole to you. If I’d known he would behave like that…” I let my voice trail off because I didn’t know what I would have done if I’d known. My choices at the time had been go with Keane, or skip the party. I couldn’t help noticing that Kimber was wearing the pendant I’d given her, which reminded me why I’d taken the risk of going in the first place.

Kimber licked her lips, and a hint of pink colored her pale cheeks. “You don’t have to apologize. I actually, um, kind of liked him.”

My eyes widened, and my jaw dropped. I reached up and wiggled my ear. “Excuse me, but I think there’s something wrong with my hearing. Did I just hear you say you liked him?”

The color in her cheeks deepened. “Boys are often intimidated by me,” she confided. “Either because of who my father is, or because I’m smart. I liked that he wasn’t intimidated.”