On whether I can figure out how to be aperson again. On whether Everwood still feels like home or just another place I don't belong. On whether I can keep the promise I made to Tyler without breaking myself in the process.
"Just taking some time," I say instead. "Figuring things out."
Pearl's quiet for a moment, studying me with that same look she used to give me when I was a teenager trying to convince her I was fine after a fight at school.
She didn't believe me then either.
"You look tired," she says finally.
"I am tired."
"When's the last time you slept through the night?"
I take a sip of coffee. "Define 'through.'"
Her mouth presses into a thin line. Pearl has always been like that.
My phone buzzes in my pocket.
I pull it out, half-expecting another update about reserves scheduling or an automated reminder about paperwork I haven't filled out yet. Instead, Tyler's name flashes across the screen.
My stomach tightens.
I glance at Pearl. "I should take this."
She nods, already rising to give me space. "I'll be in the garden."
I wait until the back door clicks shut before I answer. "Tyler."
"Bo." His voice is scratchy and distant. Satellite delay, maybe, could be exhaustion. "You make it to Everwood?"
"Yeah. Just got to Pearl's."
"Good." A pause. "Listen, I don't have long, but I need you to do something for me."
"What's going on?"
"Falon."
My pulse kicks up a notch.
"What about her?" I keep my voice steady, even though the sound of her name does something strange to the beat of my own heart.
"Kevin Bennett's back in town."
I close my eyes. Kevin. The guy who spent half of high school trying to prove he was tougher than he was, and the other half making everyone around him miserable. The same guy who used to corner Falon at parties, all charm and no class.
"What's he doing back?" I ask.
"Got some fancy degree. Accounting or something. Doesn't matter. Point is, Mom says he's been sniffing around Falon again, and she's too stubborn to see it for what it is."
"Tyler—"
"I need you to keep an eye on her, Bo. Just... make sure she's okay. Make sure he doesn't pull anything."
The promise sits unspoken between us.Don't touch her. Don't date her. Don't even think about it.I made that promise seven years ago, standing in this same kitchen, because Tyler asked me to and because I owed him that much.
I still owe him.
