Luke nods once, but we both know he’s not buying it.
“She called yesterday,” he says casually.
The muscles in my back tighten, and before I can stop myself, I find myself responding. “Is that so?”
“She’s on the coast,” he says. “Says she likes it.”
“Good.” The word comes out rougher than intended.
“Is it?” My friend’s gaze sharpens. “Finishing school would have been good, too.”
“It wasn’t for her.” I bend to grab a few more pieces of wood. “She needed to getout and see the world,” I say without looking up. “Figure things out.”
“Did she?” There’s a warning held just beneath his words, but I don’t heed it.
“She’s not meant to be stuck up here,” I say, my voice low, still not looking at him. “She deserves more than this mountain.”
“Funny,” he says slowly. Again, the warning in his voice sounds louder now. “No one said anything about her staying on the mountain.”
I grunt but don’t turn around.
“Sounds like you’ve given this a lot of thought.” I feel him step up closer behind me. “Like you’ve givenTessaa lot of thought.”
My jaw flexes, and I turn to face my old friend.
“What happened while I was gone, Holt?” The question is quiet and controlled, like he already knows the answer.
“Nothing,” I lie.
Luke doesn’t blink.
He just stands there, watching me the way he used to when he knew I was about to do something reckless. Or like he’s about to push me to it.
I should walk away. End this before it goestoo far.
“Sounds like she’s having fun,” he says, watching me carefully when he speaks. “Meeting new people,” he continues, baiting me. “It won’t be long before she meets some surfer kid or bartender who thinks she’s cute. She’ll get swept up in that for a bit before moving on. That’s what she does.”
The image hits before I can stop it. Some coastal asshole with his hands on her, touching her, kissing her?—
“No,” I snap before I can stop myself.
“No, what?” Luke chuckles. “That’s what kids do.”
“She’s not a kid,” I growl. “She’s a woman.”
The words hang between us. Luke’s jaw tightens.
“I’m going to ask you one more time, Holt.” His voice is tight and clipped, the words forced out between gritted teeth. “What happened while I was gone?”
The realization that I’ve crossed a line I can never step back over hits hard, and we both know it.
“I told you,” I say, my voice not as steady as it should be. “Nothing.”
Luke’s eyes narrow. “You’ve never lied to me before.”
I shake my head once and double down. “I’m not lying.”
“You can’t even look at me, you son of a bitch.”
