“I miss you, too,” I say after a beat.
Tori leans into the frame a second later and waves, holding up a ribbed glass tumbler with a fruit skewer sticking out of it.
“How could you possibly miss us when you’re living out my dream fantasy?”
I roll my eyes. “There’s nothing even remotely dreamy about being shipped off to the middle of nowhere surrounded by a bunch of strangers, Tori.”
“Whatever. So, are they hot? Tell us everything.”
I roll over onto my stomach, the bed frame creaking beneath me as I glance out the window. A large black horse flicks its tail near the fence line.
“Um. I don’t know. I’ve only met the owner and his sons so far. One of them gave me a tour. The other one is…busy. I don’t know.”
Mia’s brow furrows a little. “Are they nice, at least?”
“Yeah,” I say quickly. “Fine. Just…different.”
Tori shows Mia something on her phone and they both laugh. It’s loud and familiar, and it makes something ache deep in my chest.
Mia’s smile softens. “It’s only for the summer, right? It’ll go by fast. Maybe Tori and I can come visit.”
I nod, even though I don’t share her optimism.
Tori leans closer to the camera. “There has to be at least one hot cowboy to make this worth it.”
I huff out a laugh. “I don’t know. They’re strangers.”
“You don’t have to know them to think they’re hot.” Her eyes light up. “Maybe this isexactlywhat you needed. A passionate summer romance with a hot, rugged cowboy to lasso away your virginity.”
“You’re feral,” I say. “That’s absolutely not going to happen.” They both laugh and before I can stop myself, the words slip out. “Have either of you heard from Kolson?”
Mia’s smile falters. “Um. Not really.”
Tori exhales, rolling her eyes. “Oh my God, Sadie,don’tstart.”
“What?” I ask, even though my throat already feels tight.
“She’s just—” Mia starts, but Tori cuts her off.
“He’s fine. Thriving, apparently. There were pictures of him in the Maldives with some Pilates influencer.”
I laugh, too quickly. “Of course there were.”
Mia shoots Tori a look. “We weren’t going to bring it up.”
“It’s fine,” I say, even though it’s not. “Seriously.”
“Hey.” Mia’s voice softens. “He doesn’t deserve you, okay?”
“Yeah, I know.”
She nods, studying me through the screen. “You sure you’re okay?”
I force a smile. “Yeah. Just tired.”
“Call me anytime, okay? I mean it.”
“Yeah,” I say again, quieter this time. “I will.”
