The Distance Between Us

eyes snap to hers. “What? Who?”
    “Your father. It’s up to you. You won’t hurt me.”
    I nod. I’m still not sure what I want with my dad, but it feels good to have the choice.
    “So if the doll store isn’t your dream, what is?”
    “College. Science major.”
    “Perfect.”
    “Xander’s here. In the hall.”
    “I knew he’d be back. How could someone stay away from you for long? Bring him in. I have an apology to make.”
    I smile. The firm grip my mother has on my hand helps me remember how strong she is. I squeeze back then step out into the hall.
    “Is she okay?”
    I hug Xander, nuzzling my face into his neck. “How can I feel so perfectly happy when my mom is in the hospital and the doll store is in trouble?”
    “Because you know everything is going to be okay. This is like the calm after the storm. Everything has settled, and even though it left destruction in its wake, you know the worst is over.”
    “Nice analogy.”
    “Thanks.”
    “You ready for your after-the-storm talk with my mom?”
    “For some reason I’m not as confident as I was the first time I met her.”
    “You’ll do fine. All moms like you, remember?”
    He bends his knees, wraps his arms around my waist, and stands up, lifting me off the floor, my toes brushing the tile. “As long as her daughter loves me I can face anything.”
    “Even redrum? Because after this we’re going to your house to watch The Shining .”
    “Now that my future is hotels, is that really a good idea?” I can feel his smile against my cheek.
    “Don’t worry, you can cover your eyes. I won’t make fun of you . . . too much.”

Credits
    Cover art © 2013 by Trevillion Images
    Hand lettering by Sarah Jane Coleman
    Cover design by Torborg Davern

Copyright
    HarperTeen is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
     
    The Distance Between Us
    Copyright © 2013 by Kasie West
    All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
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    Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
    West, Kasie.
       The distance between us / Kasie West. — First edition.
          pages cm
       Summary: “Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers knows better than to trust a rich boy. But then she meets the richest guy of all, who proves money might not matter after all”— Provided by publisher.
       ISBN 978-0-06-223565-7 (pbk.)
       EPub Edition © APRIL 2013 ISBN: 9780062235664
    [1. Dating (Social customs)—Fiction. 2. Wealth—Fiction. 3. Single-parent families—Fiction. 4. Mothers and daughters—Fiction.] I. Title.
    PZ7.W51837Dis 2013
    [Fic]—dc23
    2013003173
    CIP
    AC
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    FIRST EDITION

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