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“I hit you pretty hard.”

“I know, it was a good shot.”

The corner of her mouth curves up with pride that she got one up on me. Honestly, I am just as proud; I wasn’t expecting a bag of potatoes to almost take me out.

“Goodbye, Clay.”

She turns and walks away, and this time I let her, giving her a few minutes’ head start. I walk back to my car before I circle back around and watch her walk up the stairs to the loft.

She turns around as I drive past and flips me off. I laugh, and she wonders why I can’t stay away. As I’m pulling onto the main road, my phone rings through the speakers, and Jess’s name comes up on the screen. I answer it on the first ring.

“You didn’t call me back yesterday.”

“I was working,” I reply.

She huffs. “You’re always working.” I can hear her moving around and then the sound of a door closing. “Are you still on the island?”

“No.”

“Where are you then?” she pesters.

“Driving.”

She makes a frustrated, girly sound—one that drives me insane. “Clay.”

“Jess,” I throw back.

“Something is up with you.”

I laugh, as Jess is not what I would normally call observant.

“Nothing is up with me.”

“You’ve been weird, and don’t tell me it’s work. I’m not an idiot.”

I change lanes, remaining silent; I have no intention of answering that question.

“Oh, it’s a girl . . . is it Kayla? I heard what happened with Vero.”

“Goodbye, Jess.”

“Oh my god, it is her!”

“I’m hanging up now.”

This time it’s Jess who laughs. “Don’t you dare hang up on me, or I will call Nixie.”

“Call her,” I say. “See what she tells you.”

There is a pause, and I know she is wondering if I’m calling her bluff. Nixie won’t tell her shit because she likes holding information over people. She would rather keep it than hand it over to my baby sister.

“You’re so annoying.”

“So I’ve been told. Goodbye, Jess. I have shit to do.”

She sighs. “Fine. But Clay?”

“What?”