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My head is on a swivel as I search the throng of people. I’m pretty sure this is where I left Ty, but there’s no sign of him. After I worked myself up, prepared to lay it all on the line, disappointment rushes in. I have no idea if I’ll ever work up the courage again to pull him aside and tell him the truth. Just as I’m about to give up, I swing around, only to catch sight of his dark head. My heart swells as I take a step forward before faltering when I realize he’s not alone.
There’s a girl pressed against him, and they’re kissing. Sharp shafts of pain flood through me as I stare. After what feels like an eternity, they pull apart, and I realize it’s Heather, the girl he dated in high school. Every bit of cautious hope filling me bursts like an overinflated balloon. For all I know, they’ve been together this entire time.
Thank God I didn’t get a chance to reveal my true feelings. Can you imagine the embarrassment that would have followed?
An image of Mike pops into my head. I’ve known him forever and have never thought of him as anything more than Lizzie’s kid brother. When he’d asked me out earlier, I had wanted to ruffle his hair and tell him that he needed to find a girl his own age.
A knot of nausea grows in the pit of my belly.
Is that how Ty sees me?
As nothing more than a silly kid with a crush?
Hot licks of humiliation burn at my cheeks.
I swing away before he catches sight of me. Finding Lizzie now feels imperative. I need to get out of here. I throw a quick glance around, scanning the immediate vicinity, but don’t see her anywhere. Even in the darkness, she’d stick out like a sore thumb in that neon green tube top.
And where the hell is Brett?
He was supposed to find her. I’m more than ready for him to make good on his threat and take us home.
Unwilling to stand around and wait for them to resurface, I push my way through the press of bodies, putting as much distance between Ty and myself as I can. After about five minutes of searching, I come across a couple of Brett’s friends from high school. Even though they’re drunk off their asses, I ask if they’ve seen my brother. The first two shrug and shake their heads. The third one chugs his can of beer before pointing to the boathouse, saying he saw Brett disappear in there with a girl.
A girl?
I want to roll my eyes.
He’s supposed to be searching for Lizzie, not getting it on with some chick.
Ugh.
Carefully I pick my way toward the shoreline until reaching a wooden pier that stretches thirty feet over the water. A small boathouse sits midway out. There are a few couples sitting on the dock, dipping their feet in the lake as they talk. The door to the structure is closed, making me wonder if it’s empty. I press my ear to the wood and listen for any telltale signs of life. When I’m greeted with silence, I knock before pushing it open and peeking cautiously inside. Without the silvery light of the moon filtering into the space, the room is swathed in blackness. I blink until my eyes adjust.
Even though I’m pretty sure it’s empty, I whisper, “Brett, are you in here?”
Stillness settles around me. My guess is that his friend is wrong, and my brother was never here.
“Brett?” I repeat loudly. As I take a step in retreat, a head pops up from the other side of a couch on the far side of the room.
“Dani?” comes the scrape of a familiar voice.
Everything inside me loosens. Well...at least I found one of them. That’s half the battle, right? “Yeah, it’s me.”
“What are you doing here?”
Seriously?
I’m the one who should be asking that question. That’s all it takes for my relief to vanish and annoyance to rush in and fill the void. “Um, hello? You’re the one who disappeared on me. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
“Oh.” A few seconds tick by. “Right.”
I narrow my eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of the girl my brother has been making out with, but the interior is too dark. “Did you ever find Lizzie? I haven’t seen her, and I’m ready to take off.”
He plows a hand through his short blond hair. “Give me a moment, and then we’ll get out of here. Okay?”
“What about Lizzie?” I shift my weight. “We can’t just leave her here. She’s supposed to spend the night.”
“We’ll find her,” Brett snaps as if I’m being a nuisance. “Just go.”
Irritated with his behavior, I straighten to my full height. As much as I love my brother, there are times when he can be a real jerk. Clearly, this is one of them. “Fine.” Not waiting for a response, I spin on my heels, slamming the door shut behind me.
