Me: If my dad asks, I’m with you in Palm Springs.
Three dots danced on the screen then disappeared. Reappeared once more. Then a message came through.
Piper: This is a bad idea.
I gripped the phone, my fingers flying across the keys as I typed out my reply.
Me: If you don’t want to cover for me, it’s fine. I’ll come up with a different story.
Piper: You know I’ve always got your back.
I scoffed and tossed my phone down on the bed. It sure didn’t feel like it. Her lecture made it seem as if she most certainly did not have my back. But there was nothing more to say. So, I riffled through my drawers, intent on carrying out my plan. I was already in too deep to stop. What was one more lie at this point?
Chapter Twenty
Ipaced the living room, wondering where Sumner was. I would’ve thought she’d be here by now. And I was beginning to worry she was having second thoughts.
I wouldn’t have blamed her. The past week or so since returning from New York hadn’t been exactly smooth sailing, though my plan had seemed simple enough—avoid her. Forget about New York. But I’d quickly realized it was easier said than done.
I’d tried to stay away. When I couldn’t avoid her, I’d been an asshole. And then, talk about the ultimate backfire—I’d had sex with her—in the parking lot.I scrubbed a hand over my face. What was I thinking?
That she was amazing.
That I wanted her.
That we’d already slept together, so what was one more time?
All that and more. Besides, hadn’t she proved that she could be mature about the situation—discreet and level-headed? She’d called me out for being a dick, but I couldn’t say it was undeserved. At least now, we both knew where things stood.
I glanced at my phone again. No new messages or calls.Huh.
I padded over to the kitchen and pulled out a bottle of whiskey before remembering it was one Ian had given me for my birthday. It felt wrong—drinking the whiskey he’d given me while waiting for his daughter to sneak over so I could spend the weekend with her.
I shook my head and pushed it to the back of the cabinet along with my guilt before grabbing another bottle. It wasn’t as decadent, but it would do. I had a feeling it would go down smoother than the one from Ian.
I poured myself a glass and stared at the amber liquid before taking a sip. It tasted of vanilla and caramel, but it wasn’t the flavor I wanted on my tongue.
I glanced toward the door, peering through a window to the street.Where is she?
My phone dinged with a new email, and I skimmed the contents.Meh.I moved on to the next and the next, feeling as if I were reading the same thing over and over. None of it excited me anymore.
I finished my glass and rinsed it before putting it in the dishwasher. I returned to the counter and stared at my phone screen, thinking back on everything Sumner and I had discussed about success. Was this what success looked like? Was this what I wanted the rest of my life to be like? Alone. Living in a big house I didn’t even like with things I didn’t care about.
Finally, mercifully, the doorbell rang, and I jogged over to answer.God, I’m pathetic.
“Hey,” I said, opening the door for Sumner. “Everything okay?”
“Yep!” Blink. Blink. Blink.Lie.
“Mm-hmm. Why don’t you come in, and we’ll have a drink?”
She kicked off her shoes and followed me into the kitchen before dropping her bag on the counter. I reached into the fridge and pulled out a bottle of white wine before grabbing two glasses.
“What? No whiskey?” she teased, settling onto one of the barstools.
“I have whiskey if you’d prefer,” I said, corkscrew poised above the bottle. “Though I didn’t get the impression it was your favorite.”
“But it’s yours. Well, Blanton’s, more specifically. You think Pendleton tastes too much of juniper.”
