Amy hadn’t called.
That alone bothered me more than anything else that had happened that day. She would have heard about the scene on Main Street, everyone would have. Normally, she’d be on the phone with me immediately, full of questions and opinions and probably laughing about Stone’s lack of judgment.
But the screen stayed dark.
I finally tapped her name and waited.
She answered on the third ring. “Pep… it’s not a good time.”
Something tightened in my chest, and I asked, hopefully, “Beau’s there.”
Silence fell heavily.
Mo lifted his head then, eyes sharp, watching me.
“Amy, what’s going on?”
There was another pause before she said softly, “Thomas is here.”
I wasn’t sure what to say to that, though my mind settled it for me. “We need to talk.”
“We do,” she whispered. “Just… not right now.”
She hung up, leaving me staring at my phone.
Mo pushed himself to his feet and looked at me, tail still, ears forward, the look he gave me whenever trouble had just walked into the room and hadn’t bothered to knock.
“I don’t like this either,” I told him, rubbing the thick fur at his neck. “And don’t give me that look. I’m not jumping to conclusions.”
He huffed softly, unconvinced, and settled back down, closer this time, his shoulder pressed against my shin.
Minutes passed. Ian’s voice murmured on from the library. I tried to distract myself, failed, and then my phone buzzed.
It was Amy.
“Thomas just left,” she said. “And it’s not what you think.”
Beau certainly thinks otherwise,” I said, wanting to get this cleared up once and for all. “And you and I have always been honest with each other. That can’t change now.”
She didn’t answer right away. When she did, her voice sounded tired. “I know. I just didn’t expect any of this.”
“Neither did Beau,” I said softly.
Another stretch of silence.
“Can we meet?” she asked. “Breakfast?”
“Of course.”
“Early,” she added. “I’ve got a busy day.”
“Early works,” I said. “We’ll talk then.”
When the call ended, I set my phone aside and rested my hand on Mo’s head. He leaned into my touch, solid and warm.
“I’ve got a bad feeling,” I admitted quietly. “And I hope I’m wrong.”
Mo didn’t argue. He just stayed right there, keeping watch.
