“I heard.”
I frowned. “That’s weird, right?”
Jaxon shook his head. “Not if you know Wendy.”
“Are you sure it’s okay?”
“She wouldn’t have given you a key if it wasn’t,” he assured.
“They are so nice.”
Jaxon smiled. “Yeah, they are. Salt of earth. Are you ready to go?”
I nodded. I’d worn a pair of dark skinny jeans, knee-high boots, and soft V-neck T-shirt under a tight black hoodie. I had been raised to never leave the house without hair and makeup ‘fixed,’ and that had been reinforced the second I saw myself in a paparazzi photo after a night of making sure Melody didn’t drink herself to death. I’d been dragged out of bed at two a.m., and rushed to a club in midtown New York, dragging her drunk ass out, only to be caught on camera. I looked like the swamp monster, and I swore I’d never let it happen again.
Jaxon led me out to his SUV, holding an umbrella over my head and opening the door for me. I climbed in and he jogged to the driver side, dropping the umbrella in the back before climbing in himself.
“You hungry?” he asked.
“I’m so hungry I could eat the north end of a south-bound goat.”
Jaxon laughed. “Then we better get you fed.”
As Jaxon drove into the little town, my phone buzzed and I glanced at the screen to see Billy was calling. “Hey, buddy.”
“Girl, you need to get back here. Your sister’s goin’ cray-cray.”
“I’m having a time out.”
I heard Jaxon chuckle beside me, but ignored him.
“I can’t handle her by myself,” Billy continued.
“Then take your own time out,” I suggested.
“She’d die.”
I rolled my eyes. “Well, maybe it’s time.”
“Jesus,” Jaxon hissed beside me and I chanced a glance, seeing him trying to keep himself from laughing.
“Okay, I know you don’t mean that,” Billy said. “But I get it.”
“Is that all?”
“No, it’s not all,” he whined. “Lyric’s flying out.”
Okay, this was a surprise, but it was about time, in my opinion. “Well, that’s great. She can wrangle Melody. I’m done.”
“Oh, my god, are you seriously never coming back?”
I rolled my eyes. “Did I say I wasnevercoming back?”
“Well, you didn’t tell me when you were coming...or where you are. Where are you?”
I glanced at Jaxon who shook his head.
I bit my lip. “I’m not at liberty to say.”
