This Side of the Sun (The Sun Trilogy) by M. Lauryl Lewis

to come.” She didn’t sound very convincing.
    Miranda smiled. “If you insist.”
    “Hat? We can drive you,” said Justine.
    I had been picking at a loose thread on my jeans, but looked up. “Oh, I can’t make it. Sorry.”
    My father stood. “We just flew in. It took us over thirty hours with layovers. Thousands of dollars for day-of tickets. You can meet us for dinner.”
    I clicked my phone on, glad to see Saul smiling at me, and was sad to see the clock read 3:07.
    “I can’t. I have plans already.”
    “Hattie, come on,” said Justine. “It’ll be fun.”
    I looked up. “I’m sure it’ll be a whole heap…but I have plans already. Sorry.”
    Another knock sounded on the door, and I jumped up to answer it.
    “C’mon, Jim, we need to get going,” said Helen in her irritating nasal drawl.
    The door opened on its own, and my heart sank when I saw Everett coming into my house. I had hoped it was Saul coming to pick me up, and Everett was the last person I wanted to see. Well, other than Helen.
    “Hey honey,” said Miranda. “Look who’s here!”
    “Mr. Leonardo. Mrs. Leonardo,” he said, offering each of them his hand to shake. He had always known how to be a kiss-ass, and was in full charm mode.
    ***
    Irritated beyond belief, I snuck out of the room while greetings were going around. I took my mug into the kitchen and felt sick to my stomach when I heard Everett’s voice from behind me.
    “Hattie?”
    I turned to look at him but didn’t answer.
    “Can we talk? Please?”
    “I’d rather not.”
    I turned to face the sink and rinsed my mug. I felt Everett standing close behind me, and held my breath. I didn’t want him near me.
    “I’m sorry, Hat,” he whispered a little too close to the back of my head. “I didn’t mean to freak you out. I had too much to drink and lost a little control.”
    I turned to face him, only to find he was even closer than I had anticipated. His front was nearly touching mine, forcing me to back against the counter.
    “I guess you know now, huh?”
    “Know what?” I asked.
    “How I feel about you, Hat. I guess I’ve known for a while, but it didn’t really slap me in the face until I thought you might have died in the explosion. I’m not sure what I would have done,” he said, obviously on the verge of tears.
    “Everett, stop. I didn’t die. I’m flattered that you care about me, but what happened last night wasn't okay.”
    “I know, and I’m so sorry. If I could undo it I would, but I need you to know how I feel about you. And I want you to know that last night…well…it’ll never happen again.”
    I didn’t say anything at first, I just looked at him. He wore a mask of pain on his face, and in that moment I felt bad for him.
    “Ev, you know I care about you too. We’ve been friends since we were just little. But that’s what it is: a friendship. I don’t want you hurting, and I’m not trying to be mean, but I only love you as a dear friend.”
    He stepped back from me a half turn, leaning against the counter that branched off into an ‘L’ shape. “You don’t think it could ever be more?”
    I looked sideways at him. “I just don’t feel it, Ev.”
    “Can you at least forgive me for last night?”
    “Yeah, I can. I just need to know you won’t try to force anything with us.”
    He reached a hand out to me, and I took it in mine.
    “Friends?” he asked.
    “Of course.”
    His body language suggested he wanted to step closer, but kept himself from doing so.
    “So your dad’s here for a few days?”
    “I guess so. Somehow their thing in Kenya being interrupted is my fault, of course,” I said with a sigh as our hand-holding-session ended.
    “You going to dinner tonight?”
    “Nah. I have plans.”
    “If you don’t want to be around me I understand. I can skip it if you want to go.”
    “Spending an evening with Helen? Please.” I rolled my eyes in dramatic exaggeration. “I just have other plans already.”
    “With