The Secret of Spruce Knoll Read Online Free PDF Page B

something more—by seeming too overzealous. Turning the charm on and ensnaring Aiden wasn’t what she wanted to do. She actually wanted to get to know him, and that surprised her. L.A. boys had the depth of a mud puddle, not much to get to know. However, Aiden made her think of that clear, deep river.
    That train of thought wasn’t helping matters. With a shake of her head, she pulled the door open and squeaked in surprise. Standing there with his fist up as if preparing to knock, was Aiden. His surprised look melted into a smile and he burst into laughter. Eren stuck her tongue out at him before succumbing to laughter herself.
    Slapping him on the shoulder, she stepped outside and closed the door behind her.
    “You scared me!”
    “I noticed,” he managed through a fit of laughter. He was practically doubled over and gasping for air.
    Eren was glad he was distracted because it gave her a moment to gawk at how fantastic he looked. There was some sort of gel in his brown/blackish hair, making it stick up in even wilder disarray than it had yesterday. On other boys it might have looked silly, but he made it look incredibly good. He wore a tank top but that was okay. She thought maybe it would help her keep her wits about her.
    Once the laughing fit passed, he grabbed her hand and pulled her after him. They ran for a few miles, crossing the bridge and returning back. It was refreshing to run with someone who could not only keep pace with her, but didn’t tire out. Back home she’d been on the track team and had been one of the fastest runners. No one could match her endurance or speed. Her coach had talked about the Olympics.
    When the warm morning sun made its way above the treetops, it found them sitting on the Mayan side of the river. Eren had told Aiden about her aunt’s warning not to trespass and he had simply agreed that it was good advice. It irked her that even he was acting mysterious but it also occurred to her that this stranger knew her aunt better than she did.
    “What’s my aunt like?” she asked.
    “She’s nice. Talkative, but nice,” Aiden said.
    “I don’t even know what she does for a living.” 
    It was frustrating to know absolutely nothing about the person she lived with. Eren was starting to get the feeling there was a lot about not only her aunt, but this town, that she didn’t know.
    “She helps manage the recycling plant in town. But I think her real job is something on the internet. She travels a lot, whatever it is. Before you came she didn’t live in Spruce Knoll, she just visited a few times a year. But I hear she grew up here,” he said.
    Eren wrapped her arms around her knees and rested her cheek on her forearm. She watched Aiden’s thoughtful face as she mulled this over. The sunlight made his eyes look like honey, it was very distracting. He must have felt the weight of her gaze because he turned and smiled at her.
    “What, do I have something in my nose?” he asked.
    Laughing, she slapped his arm and shook her head.
    “Ouch! You’re abusive,” he teased as he rubbed his arm.
    They laughed together before returning their attention back to the unending flow of water. There was so much more she wanted to ask him, but it would sound crazy and she didn’t want to turn him away. He was the closest thing to a friend she had right now.
    “What’s on your mind?” he asked.
    “I was just thinking how sad it is that I know so little about my own family.” It was only half a lie.
    “Now you’ll have the chance to find out.”
    He was so optimistic. She loved that, it was something she could definitely get used to.  Lately there hadn’t been much room for optimism in her life and she thought maybe it was about time for some. Maybe if she worded it carefully enough she could get a bit of info without sounding like a freak.
    “So what’s with the whole trespassing thing? She seemed pretty intense about that,” Eren asked.
    It was hard to tell, but she was pretty sure