“Okay,” she says around the mouthful, orange dust on her fingertips. “So you’re telling me, not only did younotget murdered at the Calloways?—”
I sigh. “Seriously?”
“—but Gage didn’t evenkissyou? No onedid?”
I drag a hand down my face. “Jesus, Lo. What do you meanno one? Who do you expect me to kiss?”
She levels me with a deadpan stare before tossing another cheese puff into her mouth. “One of them, all of them, whatever. All I know is that those are the only two acceptable endings to that evening.”
I reach for the visor, flipping it down to block the late-afternoon glare bleeding through the windshield. “Why on earth would those be the only two options?”
She smirks, shakes another cheese puff out of the bag, and tosses it into her mouth. “I don’t make the rules, sis.”
I pluck a cheese puff from the bag and flick it at her face to let her know exactly what I think of her so-called rules. It bounces off her cheekbone and lands in her lap.
She gasps dramatically. “Harsh.”
“You deserved it.”
She kicks her feet up on the dash, ankles crossed, completely unbothered. “I’m just saying, let’s review. Gage doesn’t snitch about the yacht. He invites you to the party. He makesmoon eyesat you—don’t even try to argue that. His mom invites you over for dinner, which is a whole psychological warfare situation on its own. Then you stay for dessert,andhe walks you to the car.” She pauses for effect after ticking each item off on her fingers. “And what happens next?”
I shrug and stare straight ahead at the back entrance of Otto’s Music. “Nothing.”
Lola twists toward me so hard her seatbelt squeaks. “Nothing!That man was looking at you like he was gonna devour you at that party. Ugh, it just doesn’t make sense.”
“Lo.” I pinch the bridge of my nose and pray for patience. Between surveillance and the drive home, we have hours left together in this car. “Remind me again why we’re doing recon together?”
“Because you love me.” Now it’s her turn to flick a cheese puff at me. “All I’m saying is, I would’ve bet money that he was going to kiss you. I mean, come on, Gage Calloway? That’s a man who goes after what he wants.”
A weird little flicker rolls through my chest, like someone brushing fingers across my lungs. I don’t like it. I definitely don’t like that Lola sees it happen.
“Or,” I say, dragging the word out. “Did it ever occur to you that maybe I’m not something he wants?”
“Absolutely not,” she mumbles around a cheese puff hanging halfway out of her mouth. She plucks it from between her lipsand points it at me. “Delete that sentence from your vocabulary. Set it on fire. Throw it into the ocean.”
I bark out a laugh. “Lola.”
“Nope. I saw the way he looked at you. There isno universewhere that man wasn’t thinking about kissing you at the very least.”
I throw my hands up, letting them fall to my thighs with a slap. “Well, he didn’t. So, case closed, detective. Let’s move on, please. Focus on this job.”
She narrows her eyes at me. “Huh. So youdidwant him to.”
“What? I—no—I didn’t say that.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“You know what? Face forward. Watch the street. The whole point of being here is gathering information, remember? Recon? Crime? Illegal activity? Ring any bells?”
She reaches for her giant fountain drink, popping the straw between her teeth. “Fine. But this conversation is not over.”
“God help me.”
She leans forward, peering through the windshield. “The delivery guy said they usually drop shipments around now, but he didn’t specify if it’s weekly, biweekly, lunar cycle, whatever. So today we watch. And tomorrow we come back, and the next day, and the next. Until we have this job mapped out like Beck’s back tattoo.”
I smother a laugh at the image. Our brother spent a year planning out an intricate back tattoo, but when the time came, he backpedaled. First it was seasonal allergies, then food poisoning, and finally a case of the flu that mysteriously lasted three weeks. I think he enjoyed the planning and sketching more than the idea of actually getting it done.
“Wonderful,” I mutter, reaching into the cupholder for my iced coffee. It's completely watered down now. Fucking perfect.
