RedNovelWinona locked eyes with Keaton's parents, her heart thudding so hard she swore everyone in the room could hear it.
Awkward didn't even begin to cover it.
This was a full-blown social disaster.
She wanted to disappear, to melt into the floor, to drag Keaton out and give him a piece of her mind—but his mom and dad were right there, watching everything unfold.
Keaton had totally thrown her under the bus, just to cover for the guard! He'd gone on and on about Gale and Booker's earlier just to get the Windham and Huber families out of the way-so he could sell her out! Winona was fuming, and before she could stop herself, she stomped her foot in frustration, right before getting out of bed. Something on the nightstand went flying.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtIt hit the hardwood with a dull thud, then rolled under the bed.
Keaton's eyes went wide-he knew exactly what it was.
But Winona's mind was in overdrive. She didn't even notice what she'd just kicked. She shot Keaton a death glare, cheeks burning, and awkwardly slipped out of bed.
She did her best to smooth her tangled hair and straighten her rumpled clothes, her face red as a beet. "Uh... Mr. Huber, Janelle..." Winona felt like she could dig a hole with her toes and crawl into a whole new house to avoid this.
Mortifying. Absolutely mortifying.
She had never been this embarrassed in her life.
Sneaking over in the middle of the night, finishing off someone's vintage Scotch, somehow ending up hiding under the covers, and now...
Getting caught red-handed by the parents.
What crhad she committed in her last life to deserve Keaton? After her awkward greeting, the room went dead silent.
Richard and Janelle just stared at her. Richard wasn't even mad anymore. Janelle stopped crying.
After what felt like a lifetime, Richard cleared his throat.
When he finally spoke, his voice was nothing like the one he'd used toy at he unded almost absurde na moment ago. Instell gentle.
"Ms. Newsom, what... what are you doing here?" Winona forced a smile and scrambled for an explanation.
"Mr. Bradford sent me. He said Keaton wasn't eating, wouldn't take his medicine, and, um, askedto check on him." "I happened to be free, so... here I am. And, uh... I might've had sof Harold's whiskey." "Oh..." Richard suddenly looked enlightened. "So you're the one who gave Keaton the drink." Winona nodded. "Yeah, I brought the wine, but he didn't want to drink it, so... I'm sorry, Mr. Huber." "Oh, that's nothing, don't worry about it. A couple of bottles, who cares? It's really not a big deal." Winona blinked. "But... wasn't that Harold's wedding whiskey?" "Wedding whiskey, shmedding whiskey. It doesn't matter. Don't lose sleep over it." Richard's 180-degree personality change left Keaton staring at his dad like he'd grown a second head. "Dad, am I adopted or something?" "Shut it!" This time, both Richard and Janelle snapped in unison-their voices booming. Winona nearly jumped out of her skin.
Janelle was quick to reassure her, "Oh honey, don't mind us. We'rem yelling at that rasdal, not you. Cat oh, Winona, let's step outside and have a chat." Janelle wasn't crying anymore. She took Winona's hand like they were family.
They made their way to a bench in the chilly night air. Janelle, fussing over Winona's thin clothes, sent a En maid off for a blanket. Winona flushed, "Really, Janelle, I'm fine. I'm not cold."
Janelle shook her head. "You young girls-always dressing cute, never warm enough, Fall's tricky. Warm days, cold nights-you'll catch your death of a cold like this." She tucked the blanket around Winona anyway, all motherly concern.
Then she got right to the point. "Winona, tellthe truth. What's going on with you and Keaton?"
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