The Sisters' Secrets: Rose Page 16
Instead, he scratched his chin and stared up at the sky. ‘I think we should take the night to think about this.’
‘You might be right.’
She stood up, but Shane blocked her from leaving. He trapped her under his gaze, but she couldn’t look him in the eyes. ‘What’s wrong? Other than the obvious?’
‘You must think I’m crazy.’
‘I don’t,’ he said, shaking his head. His hands slipped into hers, and he stepped closer, his gaze moving across her face. ‘I was there too.’
Rose sighed. ‘The mind thing. I’m not making it up.’
‘I know.’
‘I should go.’
‘Do you want to go? I’m not kicking you out.’
Rose wanted time to think about what had happened. She needed space from this place, more than ever. What if Syrene came back? This time coming for her instead of her shoes. A violent shiver moved through her.
Shane stepped closer, taking her hands in his. ‘I didn’t ask you out as a friend, Rose. I want to – I want to be with you. Tonight was fun, even though it got a little strange at the end. Tell me what you want to do.’
Rose dropped her forehead against his hard chest, smiling to herself. Strange was one word to describe it.
Shane released her hands and she brought them up to her face. She leaned away, tilting her chin to look at him. What did he think about all of this? She couldn’t believe he wanted to stay with her after that ordeal, but did she want him to? She wouldn’t be someone’s charity case.
‘Come home with me,’ she said. ‘I can’t be here, but I don’t want to be alone.’
‘Okay,’ he said and kissed her, pulling her against him. She held on to him, feeling on solid ground for the first time in a while.
When Rose awoke the next morning, she could have sworn it was still night. The sun had yet to peek through her curtains, but she was wide awake. The tugging need that she’d ignored the night before had returned.
She slipped out of bed, careful not to wake Shane before grabbing her robe and sneaking from the room.
Last night, they stayed up and talked for a long time. There was so much on her mind when it came to seeing Syrene and understanding that she’d been chasing this long-haired girl to the water instead of away. She was glad he’d stayed to talk to her about their experience. Goose bumps raced up her arms as she remembered the feel of his skin on hers.
For the first time in ages, she’d slept nightmare free, but she wasn’t sure how long that would last.
After starting the coffee machine, she walked over to her laptop and sat. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, just as they had when she initially researched the long-haired girl. She typed ‘mermaid’ and ‘The Burrow’ into Google. She already knew the myths surrounding the town. Most shoreline towns had some lore that followed them through the years. Articles about the Mermaid Festival from a few weekends ago and years past were the only relevant results. Other links displaying local theater productions of The Little Mermaid came up in her search as well. She scrolled down and clicked on the next page, and there was much of the same.
She sifted through two more pages before she got up to pour a cup of coffee. As she walked back to her desk, she glanced down the hallway, thinking of Shane and the night they’d had. It seemed strange that this week they’d gone from dating to not, then dating again. Missy would be thrilled, but Rose wanted to keep their budding relationship in a bubble, at least for a little while. Knowing that he didn’t have a great past with his ex, she wanted to take it slow.
Instead of searching for local lore about mermaids, she broadened her search by removing the location. She browsed for sightings anywhere in the world that matched what she’d seen. She had better luck with that search, but there were no consistent reports of what mermaids looked like.
‘Because before yesterday, they were a myth,’ she muttered to herself.
Her bedroom door opened, and Shane shambled down the hallway. She could barely keep from grinning as he came toward her dressed in his jeans and no shirt. Her gaze traced the lines of his chest and stomach.
‘Morning,’ he said with a lopsided grin.
Flutters bounced around in her stomach. ‘Good morning.’
He walked over to her and handed over her phone. ‘It rang three times,’ he said, kissing her shoulder.
‘Who was it?’ she asked, and her heart rate kicked up a notch and not because of him.
‘I didn’t look,’ he said.
She pushed away from her chair. Three times? No one called her that many times unless it was an emergency. The Whinding House’s number displayed missed calls on her home screen. Before she could unlock it, the phone lit up again.
She answered right away. ‘Hello?’
‘Rose? This is Jessie from the Whinding House.’
‘Yes, what is it? Is Pearl okay?’
‘Please hold for Dr. Williams.’
‘But –’ The phone cut off.
Shane shook his head, his eyes widening.
Rose turned away and stalked toward the windows. How long were they going to keep her on hold?
‘This is Dr. Williams.’ His deep voice cut into her.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘Pearl had a little trouble last night with her breathing. I ordered an ambulance to take her to the hospital for some tests.’
‘What tests?’
‘At this stage in her disease, systems start shutting down. I want to be sure that is the case before we proceed.’
‘Proceed with what?’
A long pause. ‘Preparing you and your family.’
Rose barely heard the rest of the instructions as a loud ringing settled in her ears. Shane stood by her the whole time. While she appreciated it more than he could ever know, there was one person who should have been there for her and Mom. The one person she needed.
After asking the doctor to repeat himself one more time, his message sunk in and she thanked him before hanging up.
‘What do you need?’ Shane asked.
She swallowed. The bitter echo of coffee clung to her tongue. ‘I need my sister.’
Acknowledgements
This book has been the hardest to write in the best way possible. Even having eight published books behind me, this one proved the most taxing, but it’s also so much better for challenging my methods and my abilities.
I want to thank the HQ Digital team, especially Nia and Hannah who helped make these women a part of my life. You two have an uncanny ability to see my vision for the book, even through the earlier drafts.
I want to thank the entire TSAG group for being a daily support system. I don’t think you all will ever escape this page since the group is the first thing I log into each morning.
I’m pulling Raven McAllen and Kierney Scott aside to say THANK YOU so much for your invaluable advice through this book. From the start, you two have worked with me, answered my frantic plotting messages, and have been the best readers. I appreciate you more than you know.
Mom, even though the dedication speaks for itself, I always love hearing your thoughts from a reader’s perspective. As long as you keep reading, I’ll keep writing. Love ya.
Jeff, even though you only read the first three chapters, I feel that’s a win for me. <3
As always, I want to thank everyone who decided to pick up this book. I’m able to keep writing because of you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
The next book from Katlyn Duncan is coming in January 2019
Welcome to The Burrow.
I hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know one of our amazing locals, Rose Barros.
This story began with an idea about two sisters and their mother’s extraordinary past. I’m humbled and honored that you’ve chosen to add The Sister’s Secrets to your shelf, and I hope you enjoy reading more about this family in future installments.
If you enjoyed this book, I would be forever grateful if you left a review. Reviews are how readers
find books, so even one or two sentences would be helpful to getting Rose’s story into more hands.
I love being in touch with my readers so feel free to contact me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to chat about this story or books in general. Reen’s story will be out soon and I can’t wait for you to meet her.
Thanks for reading,
Katlyn
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this book – we hope you enjoyed it! If you did, we’d be so appreciative if you left a review.
Here at HQ Digital we are dedicated to publishing fiction that will keep you turning the pages into the early hours. We publish a variety of genres, from heartwarming romance, to thrilling crime and sweeping historical fiction.
To find out more about our books, enter competitions and discover exclusive content, please join our community of readers by following us at:
@HQDigitalUK
facebook.com/HQDigitalUK
Are you a budding writer? We’re also looking for authors to join the HQ Digital family! Please submit your manuscript to:
HQDigital@harpercollins.co.uk.
Hope to hear from you soon!
If you enjoyed The Sisters’ Secrets: Rose, then why not try another
delightfully uplifting story from HQ Digital?
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street
Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
http://www.harpercollins.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Canada
Bay Adelaide Centre, East Tower
22 Adelaide Street West, 41st Floor
Toronto, Ontario, M5H 4E3
http://www.harpercollins.ca
India
HarperCollins India
A 75, Sector 57
Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201 301, India
http://www.harpercollins.co.in
New Zealand
HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand) Limited
P.O. Box 1
Auckland, New Zealand
http://www.harpercollins.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
1 London Bridge Street
London, SE1 9GF
http://www.harpercollins.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
195 Broadway
New York, NY 10007
http://www.harpercollins.com