"I'll keep an eye out," I say.
"Thanks, man. I mean it." His voice softens, just a fraction. "I know I'm asking a lot. But she's?—"
"I know." I swallow hard. "She's your sister. I got it."
"Yeah." He exhales, long and slow. "Look, I gotta go. But Bo? Be careful, alright? With Falon, with Kevin, with all of it. Just... be smart."
"Always am."
He laughs, tired. "Liar."
The line goes dead.
I sit there for a long moment, phone still in my hand, staring at the table like it might offer answers.
Keep an eye on her.
Right.
Because that's simple. Because I can just show up in Everwood, in Falon's orbit, and keep things clean and distant and honorable while Kevin Bennett circles like he has any right to her time.
Because I haven't spent the last seven years trying not to think about the way she used to laugh when she thought no one was listening, or the way her hands moved when she talked about the things she cared about, or the way she looked at me once, just once, like maybe I wasn't just Tyler's best friend.
I scrub a hand over my face and push to my feet.
When the back screen door closes, Pearl looks up and sits back on her haunches. This season’s tomato plants are already planted, and the smell of damp dirt and cool Montana air with Pearl on her knees digging in dirt brought back memories and a sense of temporary home.
"Everything okay?"
"Yeah. Tyler just checking in."
She nods slowly, like she's weighing whether to believe me. "You're staying, then?"
"For a while."
"Good." She stands, brushing dirt from her knees. "The guest room's all made up. I wasn't sure when you'd get here, but I figured... well. I hoped."
Something in my chest cracks open.
"Thanks, Pearl."
She waves me off, already turning back to her plants. "Go get settled. Dinner's at six. And Bo?"
"Yeah?"
"It's good to have you home."
I nod, throat too tight to answer, and head back inside.
Upstairs, the guest room is exactly as I remember it. Same quilt on the bed. Same dresser with the scratched-up corner where I dropped my duffel too many times as a teenager. Same window overlooking the street, where I used to sit and watch the world go by and wonder if I'd ever figure out where I belonged.
I drop my bag on the floor and sink onto the edge of the bed.
My phone buzzes again. Another text from Tyler, sent right before the call dropped.
Kevin's bad news. Don't let him near her.
I stare at the message until the screen goes dark. Like he has to tell me twice. Kevin was the reason I got in all those fights when we were kids.
