“I am not. You need to go talk to him. And you need to do it now before you chicken out.”
“Fine.” I turn on my find my friends app so I can figure out where Keegan is. Even after all that’s happened, it’s still barely nine o’clock. I expect to see his little blinking dot at his condo a few blocks west of here. At least, that’s where I hope he went after our big argument. But instead it pings northwest of here, right on the shores of Lake Austin.
Reb leans over my phone and stares at the map with me. Then makes a huffing noise. “He’s not at his house?”
“Apparently not. If I had to guess, he’s at the family Sunday Brunch.”
“Is that where his parents live? I thought Loretta said they live in Tarry Town.”
“No. They do. This is worse than that. He’s not at brunch at his parent’s house.”
That would be bad enough, but this is so much worse.
Keegan’s dot is a residential neighborhood in Westlake Hills.
I tilt the phone so Reb can see the map better.
“Oh,” she says knowingly. Then blows out a whistle. “Right on the water? On Lake Austin? Those mansions sell for nearly ten million dollars. When they go on the market. Which is not often.”
“Thanks, Reb. That’s very helpful.” Does she think I’m not nervous enough?
“I know this kind of thing only because Zillow makes it disturbingly easy to imagine how the other half lives.”
I give her the side eye. “Doesn’t your father live in that part of town.”
“No, his house is up on one of those hills with the stunning views of the lake. It’s not actually on the waterfront.” She says it as if there’s a world of difference between a house on the lake or a house looking over the lake, but when you get in the 7+figure range, I’m not sure there is. “So what’s he doing over there?”
“He’s probably at the family brunch with his grandfather.”
Reb lets out a low whistle. Then nods resolutely. “Okay. My car or yours?”
It takes a second for her words to register. “You’re coming with me?”
“Yeah. I'm worried that if I don’t, you’re going to bolt again.”
It’s not a long drive from downtown to the neighborhood where Keegan’s grandfather lives. After all the most expensive lake front homes are the ones near the downtown. But it is just long enough for my nerves to crank up to high alert.
By the time Reb pulls into the circle driveway outside of a legit mansion, I’m starting to panic.
“This was a bad idea.”
Reb just shakes her head. “No, it’s a great idea.”
“Do you remember that twenty-four hours ago, I was nervous about spending the evening with his father? Can you even imagine how much more intimidating his grandfather is going to be?”
“Sure. But the evening with his father was fine, right? I mean, before you acted like a moron and sabotaged everything.”
“Thanks, that’s very helpful.”
“Look, I get that this is scary. But you’re not actually afraid of his grandfather. You’re not intimidated by this big fancy house. You’re not even afraid that he’s going to reject you.”
“I don’t know. I think I am afraid of that.”
“You’re not. You’re afraid that you’re going to get in even deeper than you are now and then one day, down the road, he’s going to realize you’re not smart enough or pretty enough or rich enough, and then he’s going to leave you.”
Her words take my breath away. Not in a good, pretty sunset kind of way. But in a horrible punched in the stomach kind of way.
“This is the worst pep talk ever!”
