And the entire stupid time I kept thinking about thecoat and the boy it belonged to and that even though I wasn’t actually wearinghis coat, I was so wearing his coat.
And I didn’t think I’d ever be able to take it off.
Not in the way that mattered.
As messed up as Sayer Wesley was, I was as entangledin this game of ours as he was. As long as Sayer was in my life there wouldnever be anyone else.
The next day, I rolled out of bed in the earlyafternoon, exhausted by our late-night success at the Mayor’s. A new wintercoat was waiting for me in the living room with a note from my dad. He felt badfor losing my other one. Oh, and he would replace my college money as soon ashe could. I didn’t need to worry about anything.
Only my dad didn’t do shit like that… ever. This hadSayer’s hand written all over it. He’d intervened. He’d stuck up for me to mydad. He’d somehow convinced Leon to do the decent thing.
So yeah, I did have something to worry about. I hadSayer to worry about.
I had my weak, infatuated heart to worry about.
Chapter Eleven
Present Day
“It’s so good to see you,” Sayer said sounding sopleasantly surprised, my skin prickled with warning. “Imagine us running intoeach other after all this time. Here of all places.”
I gaped at him. My mouth literally dropped open and mytongue lolled.
Okay, maybe I didn’t have a lolling tongue. I hadmanaged to retain some of my motor functions.
Not many.
But some.
While I stood there internally flopping on the floorlike a fish out of water, he stepped forward and pulled me into a hug.A hug?What was happening?
“That’s what I said,” Gus agreed. “Of all the placesin the world, we run into our old friend Caro in the middle of nowhereColorado. It’s just so surprising.”
He didn’t sound surprised at all, the asshole.
Sayer stepped back and I realized I hadn’t even beenable to feel him touching me. I was too numb. Too shell-shocked. I hadn’tsmelled him or stolen his wallet or patted him down or done any of the things Ishould have been doing.
Oh my God, my wallet! I took another step back andripped open my clutch.
Breathing a sigh of relief at the sight of my wallet,house keys and lipstick, I snapped it shut again and returned my gaze to Sayerfucking Wesley.
“Caroline?” Jesse asked, obviously concerned with thestate of my mental welfare.
“She’s so surprised to see us,” Gus teased. “Look ather. We’ve blown her mind.”
There was a hard edge to Gus’s voice that made menervous. He was so good at pretending, at playing the con. So much better thanhe used to be. It was only because I knew him so well that I could hear it.Every word, every mannerism laced with fury. Betrayal. Outrage.
It should have made me want to run away. It shouldhave made me afraid.
But all I wanted to do was cry.
“She can’t even introduce us to her friend,” Sayeradded. “Don’t be so rude, Caroline.” He chuckled at his joke, prompting Gus andJesse to laugh with him.
I still hadn’t gained control of my facial muscles.
“Sayer Smith.” He reached out his hand to Jesse. Iflinched at the old name. The old alias. Smith had been our inside joke.
His words echoed through my head from long ago. Let’sjust run away. Go somewhere new where nobody can recognize us. We’ll be theSmiths. We’ll blend in. We’ll disappear.
