AUGUST | NH |

FIVE

Niall

"So what's this about you burning my sister's arm?"

I groan and roll my eyes, bringing the pint of Guinness to my lips, taking a long pull of the dark beer. "It was an accident."

"Archer told me what happened before you called." Ellis looks at me over the rim of his own glass, the bubbles from the lighter golden liquid streaming to the top. "Thanks for patching her up."

"She's been doing alright though?" I'm desperate to hide the tone of my voice as I reach for a cheesy, bacon covered slice of potato.

"She's fine. I swear she's the toughest person I've ever met. When she was eight she broke her arm and I don't even think she cried." He shrugs his shoulder as he looks up at the big screen behind me, momentarily losing his focus on the baseball game that's been playing since we got here. "Archer is the kind of person you don't need to worry about. She's built differently."

"Jesus." I find myself laughing. "She didn't even cry?"

He shakes his head, reaching for his food. "Nope. She just came into the house and told me I needed to drive her to the emergency room."

Shaking my head, I can't help the way the corner of my lip tilts. "What was she doing anyways?"

"Oh you know... She was trying to climb the trellis next to her room so she could read her new library book on the roof. Except she dropped her book on the way up and tried to grab it and fell." Ellis chuckles as he recalls the memory, making me laugh alongside him. "Archer is many things... Talented, smart, hilarious. I don't think it's possible to be more proud of someone, especially with how she's doing in college— but she's definitely had her airhead moments."

Taking a bite out of my burger, I can't stop wanting to ask more questions about her. "I know you mentioned before that she's here for her summer break... Where does she go to school?"

"She goes to school in Boston." With his eyes trained back on the screen, I nod.

"When does she leave?" The question slips out before I can stop it. "I mean, since she's just here for the summer."

Bringing his gaze back to mine, I make myself busy with the food in front of me so that I don't have to focus on him for long. "Pretty sure she said the second or third week of August. You have any more questions you want to ask about my sister?"

He raises his eyebrows in my direction as I shake my head, silently cursing myself for not stopping at just asking how she was doing. "Nope, but I do want to know who you think is going to win this game."

Half listening to Ellis talk about the baseball game, the rest of my thoughts easily drift to the same place they've been for the last three days.

No matter what I did, the sight of Archer sitting on the bathroom counter at the station always made its way to the forefront of my mind. There was no forgetting her bright blue eyes or the raspberry shade of her lips.

Nope.

None.

I also still felt like the world's biggest piece of shit for hurting her.

While yes, it was an accident, I still couldn't get over the fact that I was trained to be careful — yet there I was, burning her with hot coffee and praying to god she would be able to forgive me the next time I saw her.

Which would be in approximately forty eight hours at the party for Ellis at the inn — as long as I didn't run into her again. There are rules, unwritten ones, that tell me I shouldn't even let thoughts of Archer sneak into my mind.