Home Is Where the Heart Break Is Read Online Free PDF

hasn’t been a picnic for me either. I lost both of you and my hometown.”
    He lifted his face. “Everything went to shit once you left, but . . . never mind. I’m going to stop feeling sorry for myself now. I’m just glad you’re back for summer.” He threw his arm around my shoulder. “Hey, I’ll make some popcorn, and we can watch one of those serial killer flicks. Like old times.”
    “Sounds good,” I said. “Do you remember how I used to watch the whole movie from behind my hand?”
    He smiled. “I remember that and you digging your fingernails into my arm whenever someone was about to lose their head.” He lowered his arm, strolled over to the DVD shelf, and plucked out a movie.
    “Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Well then, just to warn you, I have not changed at all.” He sat on the couch next to me. “You might want to put on some protective wear. Back then I bit my nails.” I lifted my French manicured fingers. “These babies could do some damage if heads start to roll.”
    He grabbed my wrist and kissed my palm. It was totally unexpected and it threw me for a second.
    “I don’t mind a few fingernail scratches now and then.” He released my hand, and I could still feel the heat of his mouth on my skin. “Especially from the right girl.” He winked down at me.
    I might have been sitting next to the same boy, on the same couch, in the same pool house but things were definitely different now. My attention turned back to the mosaic of tattoos running down his muscular forearm. “Speaking of the right girl--” I leaned down so I could get a better look at the ink. “Do you have any girl’s name hidden among these designs?”
    He was silent.
    “Nico Harris, you have a girl’s name on your body, don’t you?” I was surprised, amused, and irritated all at once.
    “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
    I lifted up the sleeve on his t-shirt. There was a wakeboard with a skull on it but I couldn’t see a name. I sat back hard. It was probably better that I didn’t know the name because I already hated her.
    “Oh yeah, the popcorn.” He stood and went behind the bar and put a bag in the microwave. He watched me over the counter. “What about you? I’ll bet you have a guy waiting back home.”
    I shrugged. “Yeah but I haven’t had his name permanently inked on my skin.”
    His face dropped after the word yeah. “So there is someone?”
    “Kind of. One of the reasons I came up here is to get away from him for awhile.” Truthfully I’d hardly thought of Josh since I’d left town. I’d even ignored a couple of his texts.
    The last kernel popped and the smell of popcorn filled the room. Nico sat down next to me. We rested back.
    “Let the blood and guts commence,” he said.
    “So you’re not going to show me the tattoo?” I had no idea that it would affect me so much, but I was feeling extremely bummed about it.
    He sighed loudly, sat forward, and tugged up the hem of his t-shirt. “I guess you’ll pout until you get your way.” He lifted his shirt higher. Black letters ran vertically down his side. My heart sank and I had to force myself to look at the name. A breath caught in my throat. The letters spelled Jessa .
    I blinked at it a few times and then he lowered the shirt, sat back, and dropped his arm around my shoulder. I didn’t bring up his tattoos again.

Chapter 6
    “I know Aunt Sadie is anxious to see you.” Mom licked the donut icing from her fingers.
    “I’ll be home in a few hours. Nico has to go to work at nine. I’ll be back before you even have your hair and make-up done.”
    “Do you think it’s smart to go off with both of them so soon? You only just got here.”
    I used the stainless steel door of the refrigerator to put on my lip gloss. “Mom, it’s Nico and Chase we’re talking about. Not two strangers. We’re just going to hang out for an hour or two and catch up.”
    There was a knock on the door, and instantly I felt a nervous flutter