It seemed impossible to believe she didn’t have a friend or someone else currently in her life that she could ask this favor of.
Vail leaned back in her chair. “You’re right. I could have asked someone else. But I need someone who knows this world. And I know it will sincerely piss my mother off. And you owe me, remember?”
Fuck. I walked right into that one.
She watched my face and smirked again.
“I thought you’d forgotten about that,” I mumbled. It had been so long ago, and it had been only a week after she and her mom had moved in.
“I never forget my debts. And I hold onto them until I need them.” I almost rolled my eyes at how serious she sounded.
Vail had caught me sneaking back home after going to a local party in a field. My dad didn’t care so much about me sneaking out and drinking, but he sure would have been upset about who I’d been drinking with. They were a bunch of townies who went to the local high school and were not the kind of people he wanted me to associate myself with. He saw all of those people as beneath him, and therefore beneath me.
I’d heard some local girls talking about the party and I’d just kind of decided to show up. See what the fuss was about. No one really knew who I was, so I’d spent most of the time by myself. The alcohol had been plentiful and I’d overindulged myself, so getting into the house without waking anyone was nearly impossible.
Vail caught me and I begged her to help me sneak in without making a noise and promised I’d owe her one someday.
And she’d waited nearly twelve years to collect.
“This isn’t the same.” It wasn’t even close to a fair trade.
She nodded, acknowledging me. “I know. But I’m asking anyway. Please, Lea.” She had almost never used my name, as if she was scared of it. Or allergic to it.
I couldn’t help myself from staring into her eyes and getting a little lost in their depths. It hit me all at once that I’d missed her.
That didn’t make any sense, but it was true.
I let out a sigh and her lips formed a triumphant smile. “Fine. But the second I want to leave, you’re calling me a car and letting me go. I’m not a hostage.”
“Yeah, yeah, of course,” she said. I finally picked up the croissant and bit off the end.
“What’s the dress code?” I asked after I’d swallowed the first bite.
Chapter Four
Vail
I couldn’t believeshe’d said yes so easily. If she’d pushed harder, I would have agreed to compensate her financially for her time, but that would have felt a little off. I would have done it, though.
Turns out I didn’t have to. Lea finished the croissant and the muffin as I told her about the wedding and gave her the invitation and she rolled her eyes.
The theme was nautical, and it was at the country club.
“Charles loves sailing.”
She snorted. “Of course he does.”
“They’re going to tie a rope together or something to seal the vows. They would have done it on the boat, but it’s not big enough, apparently. So the country club it is. They should give my mother a discount. This is her second wedding there.”
The wedding to her father had been a destination wedding in Hawaii. It was both lavish and casual. At least we’d gotten a decent vacation out of it. I’d spent my time exploring the island and seeing what trouble I could get into. Lea seemed to spend most of her time on the beach reading.
“How charming,” she said, her voice edged with sarcasm. Silence fell between us.
“Are you, um, living around here now?” she asked, finishing her matcha. Watching her lips wrap around the straw made me forget how to think for a moment.
“I’m actually just outside the city, and I bought a house about four months ago. Seemed like the thing to do.” It made more sense to buy a house that I could work out of than have to rent a space. I enjoyed working from home.
“I’m nearby. That way,” she said, gazing out the window and then pointing. “I’ve been here about seven months.”
