He wades out of his trance, giving his head a little shake. God, can he ever just be normal?
“This is Piper,” I say. “She lives in the west tower. Piper, my dad, Davis.”
He gets his shit together enough to extend his hand in her direction. “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” Piper says with a cool nod.
The second she drops his hand, Dad steps back. I’ve never seen him so uncomfortable. If Piper’s mood hadn’t taken a nosedive in the two minutes since he rolled in, I’d find this all kind of hilarious. I’ve told her enough about him—his name, where he works, that he’s a single dude living here, at the same complex she lives at. If she knew him, she would’ve made the connection, right?
Dad leaves the dining room for the kitchen, where he opens the fridge and pulls out a beer. He pops the top with the opener that, far as I can tell, lives on the countertop near the sink, always at the ready. Clutching the bottle neck, fries in his other hand, he says, “I’ll leave you two to…whatever it is you’re doing.”
He shifts his gaze toward my SAT prep books, then gives me a disapproving look. Jesus—he thinks I invited Piper over tostudy. He’s probably wondering how he helped produce such a grind of a kid, but by some miracle, he keeps whatever’s going on in his head to himself. He skirts the perimeter of the dining room, heading toward the hall. But before he jets, he turns back to ask me, “Fishing tomorrow?”
I shoot Piper aHelp melook, but she’s too fascinated by her chipping nail polish to notice.
Defector.
“Okay,” I tell him, only to ensure that he leaves the room.
I wait until he disappears to toss a fry at Piper. “Now I’ve got to spend another day baking in the sun, this time on the open water. Your sister likes to fish, right?”
I get a sympathy laugh, but then she’s on her feet. “I’m going to get going.”
I scramble out of my chair. “Wait. Really?”
She checks the time on her phone, practically running for the door. “Tati will freak if I’m not home soon.”
“But we didn’t talk about—”
“Yeah,” she says with a hand on the knob. “The more I think about it, the less I like the setup idea. It’s not going to work.”
Before I have the chance to try and convince her thatyes, of course it’ll work, she’s marching into the hallway.
Piper
He follows me into the corridor, and for a paralyzing second, I think he’s going to take hold of my arm. In a flash, I’m transportedto that night at Gabi’s when Damon grabbed my arm, and my muscles tie themselves into knots, anticipating a touch that—thank god—never comes.
“What happened?” Henry asks as we stride parallel paths toward the elevator.
I shake out my hands; my fingertips are tingling.
You are not with Damon.
You are not in danger.
“I told you, it’s late.”
Henry eyes me, skepticism blatant. “But everything was fine until—”
I push the elevator button. My body has started to relax, catching on to what my brain has always known: Henry’s not a threat. Still, my mind is racing. Maybe because I never imagined I’d see Davis again. Maybe because his brief history with Tatiis going to mess up Henry’s truly excellent setup plan. Maybe because, once again, life is completely out of my control.
“You should go back to your dad’s,” I say, because telling himYour dad and my sister already hooked upis just too awkward.
The elevator arrives with a ding. Its doors slide open.
“I’d rather walk you across the courtyard,” he says.
His voice is calming, imploring. Like it was the night we met, when he helped me stop crying, when he left me feeling sun-warmed, like a shell nestled in sand.
