My eyes fill with tears, and the screen blurs as I reread the messages Ethan sent after I left him last night. It’s the unsent messages that are really messing with me, though. Goddamn him.
I hate that I’m letting a man dictate my feelings. This was never supposed to be anything more than a fun, flirty hook-up with a hot older man, so why the fuck am I getting so worked up over someone I barely know?
Needing a reality check, I focus on my other problem. Willow discovered last night that her sexy phantom is none other than her stepbrother, Luca, and he just got the offer of a lifetime to play soccer in England.
So, instead of moping about in bed, I force myself into the shower and drive to her house. Despite being friends in high school, I never set foot in Willow’s house after she moved in with Luca because I wanted to avoid anyone who was close to Dylan. Not that I think Luca even knew who I was. He was only ever focused on the game. But Willow and I only ever hung out at my house.
I follow my best friend upstairs and flop onto her bed.
The Whitfords’ place is cold and uninviting, but with a mother like Gwendoline, I’m not surprised. At least Willow’s room is warm and welcoming.
“Are you okay?” she asks, sitting cross-legged next to me.
I force a smile. “Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?”
Willow shrugs, her eyes downcast as she picks at an invisible thread on her sheets. “What happened at the club last night?”
Damn it!
“A lady doesn’t kiss and tell,” I tease, trying and failing to keep my voice upbeat.
To my astonishment, she doesn’t call me out when we both know I’m no lady and I usually can’t wait to kiss and tell, but my best friend is too consumed by her own problems to recognise mine, and for once, I’m grateful. I’m not ready to dissect what’s going on in my life right now.
“Areyouokay?” I ask, though clearly she’s not.
She shakes her head, sniffing back her tears. “Luca and I had a moment when he came home last night.”
I blink at her in shock. “You told him who you were?”
“No,” she says, shaking her head again. “I couldn’t.”
“What happened? Start from the beginning. Don’t leave anything out.”
She tells me about how she woke in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and ran into him outside her room. They talked, and he confided in her about his mystery woman.
“Why didn’t you tell him it was you?” I ask softly.
She half laughs, half sobs climbing offthe bed and running a hand down her body. “Look at me, Leni. He won’t want to find out he’s been sleeping with his chubby stepsister.”
I narrow my eyes at her, hating the way she puts herself down. “Willow Hepburn, you are an absolute catch, and any man would be lucky to have you. Not to mention, you seem to have forgotten hedoeswant you outside the club. He’s been begging you for months.”
“It doesn’t matter,” she says dejectedly. “He’s leaving anyway.”
I let out a heavy sigh. It’s always so easy for men to just walk away. “Okay, so what else happened last night? I assume that wasn’t it.” It’s killing me that she’s spinning out about this. I need answers so I can help her.
Willow paces her bedroom like a caged tiger. “He invited me into his bedroom.” My eyes widen, but she rushes on. “We didn’t do anything, just talked, but gosh, Leni, he’s not who I thought he was at all. He’s actually a really nice guy, and he’s been through a lot.”
“You really like him.” It’s a statement, not a question.
She presses her lips together, refusing to acknowledge what we both know is the truth.
“Where is the delicious step-bro?” I press.
She groans, pressing her palm to her forehead. “Not helping, Len. I need to forget about him.”
“I still don’t understand why.”
“He’s leaving at the end of the week.”
