“Does she not even care that you’re with Peyton now?” asked Hansen, and I shrugged.
“Apparently not. She never really did, though. Mostly she treats Peyton like she doesn’t exist.”
“I’m telling you, Korbin.” Paisley pushed the bag of chips away and got to her feet, rubbing the seasoning from her hands. “I know this all seems innocent now but stay aware. She’s kind of taking it too far.”
I nodded at this, knowing she was right, and my mind immediately went back to Peyton’s car. “I’m not even so sure it’s Jake,” I said, taking a sip of my coffee.
“What do you mean?” asked Hansen. “Who do you think it was?”
“What about--?” I hesitated, wondering if I should say it or if I was just being paranoid. “What about Amanda?”
“Amanda?” Hansen said with a scoff. “Nah, I wouldn’t place my bets on Amanda. She’s a little crazy, but she’s just a girl. I don’t think she could do it.”
“I don’t know,” I said softly. “She’s been off the rails, man.”
Paisley looked up suddenly, her brows furrowed. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it was Amanda, either,” she said. “Maybe you should have the police look into her, too.”
I took a drink from my water bottle and nodded, leaning back in the chair to mull things over. I would definitely let the police know if things got weirder with Amanda. But for now, I wasn’t sure any accusations would hold up.
“Is Peyton doing okay?” Hansen asked. “This must be hard for her.”
“Yeah, kind of shitty timing. But she’s good—I think. Sometimes she puts on a brave face to hide her true fear.”
“The best of us do,” murmured Paisley.
“I just want to protect her,” I continued. “I would do anything for her. Anything at all.”
“Oh, man,” said Paisley. “You better slow down. You might find that you actually, I don’t know,likethis girl.” She smiled and winked, and I rolled my eyes at her.
“I’m not going to screw this up again,” I said. “Nothing in the world could make me lose her again. I learned my lesson.”
“Do you meanlessons?” Hansen put in. “Because it was more than once.”
“Yeah, yeah, spare me the self-righteous bullshit. Not all of us can be Paisley and Tate.”
“Don’t forget that we hurt people too.” Paisley pulled her bottom lip between her teeth to chew on it, eyes downcast. “We knew we wanted to be together, but at the expense of others. We didn’t come together as good people.”
“We just grew to be better people,” said Hansen. He stood from his chair and came around the table to slap me on the shoulder. “This is your chance, Butler. Become a better person. For Peyton.”
Chapter30
Peyton
“I’m so glad you’re home, sweetheart.” Mom caught my face between her hands and kissed my forehead, eyes twinkling. “With you coming back, everything is so perfect.”
“Thanks, Mom,” I said. “But is it going to be the same if I’m living with Korbin instead of here at home with you?”
My mother chuckled, dropping her hands from my face to make her way to the kitchen, giving me no choice but to follow. “I know how much you love him,” she said, going to the fridge to reheat some leftovers. “And I’m happy you two are finally together.”
“Again,” I added.
“Again,” she agreed. I had stopped by for a surprise visit to my mother after grocery shopping to spill the news of Korbin asking me to move in with him. She was, as expected, elated, and just spending time with my mother made the day much better. I was a child again, comforted by the hands of her mother, and it was long overdue. There were a couple things I hadn’t told her, however, such as the sexual assault at the hands of Jake and the fact that someone had utterly smashed up my car. I didn’t need her to worry. I’d take care of it without giving her a heart attack.
“How can I help with the move?” Mom asked. “Do you need some spare hands?”
“It should be pretty easy,” I said. “I still have to finish my two weeks at work in Denver, so I’ll bring a load of my stuff back every day I’m there. Honestly, I don’t own a lot, so it should be fairly easy. And Korbin has his truck, so it works out.”
“Are you moving into the high rise?” Mom asked, and I nodded. “What do you think of it?”
