Page 37 of On The Edge

“Huh.”

My cell phone ringing startles me. When I glance down to see Tessa’s name on it, I wince. My best friend of ten years. The peanut butter to my jelly. The one person I confide in about everything.

And yet, I haven’t said a word to her about this. Shit. Between the traveling, zero privacy to have a real conversation, and good old-fashioned jet lag, I haven’t had the time to talk to her.

That’s a lie and I know it. I could have texted her, I could have said I was going abroad for work—but that would mean I’d be lying to her.

Now I’m going to have to face the consequences on top of lying.

I motion to Cruz that I’m taking the call and step away from him, the phone to my ear. “Tess. Hi.”

“Why do you sound guilty?” she asks immediately.

“I’m not guilty. I’m—”

“Where the hell are you, Maddix?”

“It’s a long story. I haven’t had time to call.” I glance over my shoulder. Cruz is happily devouring his food with his hat pulled down low over his brow, blending in with the crowd like a tourist.

“Amsterdam, perhaps?”

“Why would you say that?” I ask, the words coming out slowly.

“There are pictures. On the Internet. Someone who looks exactly like my best friend but can’t possibly be my best friend because if she were having some hot, torrid love affair with a smoldering Formula 1 driver who could melt my computer screen, then she would have called me at the first hint of it. She wouldn’t let me find out from Landon holding out his phone to me and saying, ‘that girl looks exactly like Maddix, doesn’t she?’ and me knowing that it is in fact you.”

“What do you mean there are pictures on the Internet?” I ask, disbelief woven in every fiber of the words.

“You didn’t answer me. Where are you?”

“Like I said, it’s a long story.”

“So it’s true? The pictures? Amsterdam? Cruz fucking Navarro? What the hell, Maddix? I go away on my honeymoon, and you run off with a fuck-hot man and don’t tell me?”

“I’m here for work. With Cruz. It’s . . . complicated.”

“No shit. Why don’t you tell me something I don’t know?”

I sigh and then just like I did to my parents, I lie by omission to my best friend. “It’s not what you think. Really. It’s a work thing that turned into a this thing that I really don’t have time to explain right now.”

“You dumped Michael.” There is zero judgment in her tone, and I’m grateful for that.

“It was going nowhere.” Simpler is better.

“Couldn’t agree more. In fact, I’m kind of happy about that turn of events. What I’m not happy about is learning that my best friend is halfway around the world with some superstar, and I only found out because Landon follows F1,” she says referring to her new husband.

“Like I said, I’ll explain when I can. It’s . . . if you think this is all making your head spin then you should be standing in my shoes.”

Silence greets me and I wait patiently for her to swallow down the hurt over my lack of willing transparency. “Maddix?” Her voice is soft. Concerned. When I don’t answer, she does what I thought she’d do. I can all but see her nodding as she tries to process all of this. “Okay.” The word sounds like a way to reinforce her resolve. “Just . . . are you okay? Say the word and I’ll be there if you’re not.”

My smile is automatic and my chest constricts. “I’m okay. Everything is good.” I swallow over the ball of emotion in my throat.

“So he didn’t abduct you against your will for some hot, kinky sex? You’re not tied up to a bed and he let one hand out so you could answer my call?”

“That’s exactly what it is.” I smile.

“That’s what I thought.” Relief floods her voice but her curiosity remains. “I’m a phone call and a flight away.”

“I know. I’ll explain it all to you when I can. I promise.”