“I felt these fireworks the first time he looked at me, but I didn’t trust myself. And any kind of happiness felt like a betrayal to Ethan’s memory. Your dad liked me, and he was persistent. I told him all I could offer was friendship. He accepted that for a while, but the closer we got, the harder it was to stick to being only friends.
“I pushed him away so many times, afraid to love again, believing I didn’t deserve it. But your dad wouldn’t give up on me. He was patient and caring. He said he’d go at my pace and give me all the support I needed as long as I was willing to try for us.”
“Wow. That’s incredible. I look at you and Dad as the epitome of solid. I never would have thought you had such a complicated beginning.”
“I actually think we’re so solid because of it,” she says reflectively. “I didn’t tell you this to sway you one way or the other on Stiles. My point was only that I understood in some way how guilt and feeling ashamed can hold you back. It doesn’t excuse Stiles for cheating or for not telling you the truth. But there’s probably more to the story.
“You’ll have to make your own decision on whether you want to give Stiles that chance. You’re smart and thoughtful. I have every faith in you to do what’s best.”
“What if I put my heart out there again, and he rejects me?”
“Then he might not be the one.”
“I don’t know what to do.”
“You don’t have to decide today. But I’ll tell you something.”
“Another of Grandma Clara’s proverbs?”
“No.” She smiles. “If you love Stiles and still want to be with him, make sure he knows you don’t just love the easy, good parts—anyone can do that. But loving the whole of someone—that’s what really counts.”
I finally reached Ms. Peters on the phone after six o’clock.
“Do you know where Jordyn is?” I ask, my worry and desperation making my tone brusque and impatient. “I’ve been trying to contact her all afternoon, but my calls are going straight to voicemail, and she’s not answering my texts.”
“Are you serious? You think I’m going to tell you where she is when she left to get away from your head games? I respected you when you told her that you couldn’t love her back. I didn’t like it or understand it, but I could at least respect your honesty. But to come over last night and do what you did when nothing had changed for you crossed the line. Just because Jordyn is tough and doesn’t take shit doesn’t mean she’s not tender inside, that she can’t be hurt.”
With Max hearing the entire blast on speakerphone, I take her justified shots. “You have every right to be angry, but—”
“I don’t need your permission to be pissed.”
“I didn’t mean that.”
Max gives me a good-going-you-dumbass look.
“I’m concerned about her safety.”
“Is that your excuse to get me to tell you where she is? Well, you can forget it. Unless you’ve come to your senses and are ready to give Jordyn all the love she’s worthy of, you need to stay away from her.”
“Ms. Peters—”
“Don’t you Ms. Peters me. You have known me for nearly a year, saved my life, and I’m still Ms. Peters, despite my asking you to call me Dee. You don’t want people to get close to you, so you put up this wall of ice. If Jordyn hasn’t been able to thaw it, no one will. I feel sorry for you, Stiles.”
Max gives a thumbs-up to the phone, and I want to break his hand.
“Dee,” I force myself to say, “we can hash this out another time. I’m with Max. We have a lead on who might be terrorizing Jordyn.”
“Oh…oh my God, you do. Who is it?”
“Can you first tell me where Jordyn is so I can be assured of her safety?”
“You think she’s in danger?”
“She could be. That’s why I need to know where she is. Now, Dee. It’s imperative.”
“She’s in Rock Island with her parents. She called Lex and me this morning to tell us.”
I exhale a big breath. She’s safe with her parents over an hour away, thank God. “Do you know who Edward is?”
