Chapter 2

Jacob's remarks cut at Nancy and Ramon. Suddenly my bottled-up feelings stirred. A soft laugh escaped me.

I looked at Ramon's handsome face and my heart unexpectedly ached for him. I hurried over to Jacob's side, saying, "Let's go."

Jacob wasn't kidding earlier. His place really was right by Thurston Lake. It was a three-story farmhouse he'd built himself, with flowers blooming out front and a backyard full of veggies and a pond.

After he opened the door, he held a five-pound fish, still alive and flailing wildly, like it could sense its end was near.

"I'm gonna kill the fish. If you're feeling cold, hang out in the sunroom. It's nice and warm in there," Jacob said.

I didn't want to be bored by myself, so I followed him to the kitchen. "I remember you're not from Shacron region, right?"

He smiled, about to reply, when someone started pounding on the gate. It sounded arrogant, impatient, and downright rude.

"I'll get it. You keep doing what you're doing," I said.

I left the kitchen and jogged over. There was no peephole, and the windows and doors were too high and sealed tight, so there was no way to see who was outside.

Without thinking, I opened the door and saw Ramon and Nancy. I froze for a second. "What are you two doing here?"

"Who is it?" Jacob called out.

He came running out of the kitchen, splattered with fish blood, still holding the freshly chopped-off fish head.

When he saw Ramon and Nancy, his smile disappeared and his expression soured. "Were you following us?"

Ramon pointed up, and I followed his gaze to see a wooden sign above the door that said "restaurant."

I saw Jacob looking a bit lost, then he mumbled, "Did you find it online? Too many people kept coming, so I closed the place."

At that exact moment, Ramon and Nancy's stomachs rumbled awkwardly, and they both looked at me, embarrassed.

We all knew each other, and it felt way too awkward to ask them to leave now. I looked over at Jacob, the owner of the place.

He waved his hand. "Anyone who comes is a guest. Besides, we're old classmates. If you're here for a meal, you gotta pitch in."

He pointed at the sunroom. "Ramon, Nancy, I know you two grew up pretty privileged and probably never cook before. If you want a taste of my cooking, get to work peeling garlic."

"I'll help out too..." I started offering.

"Ivy, you're a guest. Guests don't do chores. Relax and enjoy yourself," Jacob said.

He was definitely showing favoritism, and I had no clue what was going through Jacob's mind. Ramon looked pretty uncomfortable, and seeing Nancy always reminded me of those days when I was living under someone else's roof.

Without giving it much thought, I agreed. "Alright. Ramon, Nancy, you two get to work."

Inside the sunroom, there were bags of garlic, onions, and scallions, plus all sorts of veggies straight from the earth, dirt and all.

I stood outside, watching Ramon and Nancy, Daley family's golden boy and Colsen family's princess, staring at the pile of produce, looking completely clueless.

"Ramon, are we seriously supposed to handle all this?" Nancy asked, her voice full of disbelief.

Ramon hauled over a bag of garlic. "Aren't you hungry, right? Jacob made it clear. If you don't peel the garlic, you don't get to eat."

"But Ivy doesn't have to peel garlic. How come she still gets to eat?" Nancy complained.

"Jacob said she's a guest, that's why," Ramon explained.

"But we're guests too!" Nancy pouted.

Nancy's stubbornness was on full display, and Ramon's eyes flashed with irritation. He looked up and caught me watching him; I hurriedly averted my gaze, feeling flustered inside.

A few days ago, I confessed to him for the ninety-ninth—and last—time. After he turned me down, I told myself I'd forget about him for good.

But now, seeing Ramon made my heart race all over again. He glanced at me, like he wanted to say something, but couldn't get the words out.

Ramon looked down and sighed. "Nancy, you've been griping the whole way here. Nothing ever seems to please you. Is there anything that actually makes you happy?"

Annoyed by Ramon's comment, Nancy lifted her foot and kicked the bag of garlic over, sending the fat bulbs rolling everywhere. I was pretty sure they were about to start fighting, so I turned to leave.

But then I noticed someone was moving even faster than me. I looked up and caught a glimpse of Nancy's white dress. She shot me a glare and snapped, "Orphan bitch, what are you looking at?"

Her insults were nothing new. When we were kids, the first thing she ever said to me was, "My mom says you're my servant."

As we got older, she'd call me a bitch, or worse, a bastard with no parents.

I used to fight back when I was a kid, but as I got older, I stopped caring. But now, her words stung a little.

The autumn wind caught her long dress, and I lifted my foot and stepped right on it. With a loud rip, her sundress tore apart.