“Thanks, Amity,” I tell her softly and mean it.
“No thanks needed. I’m going to work your ass to exhaustion. But I promise, by the time I’m done with you, you’ll feel confident and strong.”
I swallow hard. That’s exactly what I need.
“Alright, I’d better go. G’s cooking, which means I need to get the extinguisher handy.”
“Hey!” I hear in the background right before the smoke alarm starts blaring. I laugh as Amity hangs up with a curse, grinning widely as I take a bite from my pastry.
“Big smile. Good news?”
I jolt at the sound of the server’s voice. “No, nothing big, just normal stuff.”
“Pfft, normal doesn’t earn a smile like that. There’s nothing exciting about normal.”
I glance out the window and feel my smile grow wider. “I don’t know, normal sounds pretty damn perfect to me.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
AMBROS
By the timeI switch out the bike for the truck and collect Citi, the rain has stopped. Typical. Still, the roads are slick, so it was worth grabbing the truck in the end.
She’s quiet as I drive back. I keep looking over to make sure she’s okay. She doesn’t look upset, just lost in thought.
“How did it go?”
“Hmm?” She looks over before she realizes what I said. “It went okay. I have some things to think about.”
“Sounds serious.”
Her face flushes. “It’s nothing really. Did I tell you Amity called?” she asks, changing the subject.
“No, what did she want?”
“She asked me to go to the movies with her.”
“Nice. You said yes, right?”
“Yeah.” Her voice has a weird tone to it, making me look over at her.
“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to. Amity would understand.”
“No, it’s not that. I was worried about how Neveah would feel about it.”
“She couldn’t make it?”
“Oh…um, I don’t know if she was invited. Should I ask Amity, or invite her myself?” She sounds panicked.
I reach over and squeeze her knee. “Okay, what’s going on?”
She sighs. “I’m being silly. I’m just worrying I might be doing something wrong without meaning to.”
“By going to the movies?”
“By going with Nevaeh’s friend.” She toys with the hole in her jeans as she continues. “I had Havoc lie for me. He knew I was here, but I asked him not to say anything. That wasn’t cool of me. I didn’t do it to upset Neaveh. I wasn’t ready to get invaded, but now I realize how unfair I was being.”
“Okay, take a deep breath for me, Citi, and blow it out slowly. You’re spiraling, honey. Neither Tink nor Havoc is bothered. They love and trust each other. You’ve been to hell and back, so if Havoc did something to ensure your comfort, well, Nevaeh’s only going to appreciate that. You’re worrying over nothing.”
