“We’ll get out of your way.” Sienna grabs my arm. “Come on, Emily. Let’s go freshen up or something.”
I don’t want to freshen up, but I let her lead me out of the kitchen toward the stairway.
River and the others are no longer in the foyer.
“Where did they go?” I ask Sienna.
“Who knows?” She heads toward the door. “Come on.”
“We were dismissed,” I tell her.
“Yeah, and I didn’t like it. Did you?”
“I bloody hated it,” I admit. “But they were…” I shake my head. “I felt like we were intruding.”
“I know the feeling. Do you know anything about this guy? This Jake?”
I draw in a breath. “Sebastian told me a little about him.”
“Sebastian?” She widens her eyes.
“Yes. During our date last night. He subbed in for Alex.”
Sienna wrinkles her forehead.
“It’s a long story. You were gone, and Misty and I won the cookoff?—”
“Oh, right. Brett told me about it. About his date with Misty.”
I roll my eyes. “Don’t get me started. Anyway, Sebastian sang some lyrics to me—they were bloody beautiful—and he told me that the four of them had a fifth friend while they were growing up in Montana.”
“Jake,” Sienna says softly.
“Yes. Except Sebastian didn’t name him, and he wouldn’t say anything more. But he was distraught. Very needy.”
“Sebastian Tate needy?”
“I know. It seems absurd to even say the words. And I…” I close my eyes, try to make the image of what I did disappear.
“You what?”
“I made a huge mistake, Sienna. I think I did something that I’m really going to regret.”
Sienna stops walking toward the ocean and turns to me with a look of concern. “What are you talking about, Emily?”
I swallow the lump in my throat. Last night with Sebastian at the beach was a line crossed, an impulsive decision fueled by the confusion of my feelings for River and the sympathy I felt for Sebastian.
“I slept with him, Sienna.”
She blinks at me, her mouth slightly open. Then she shakes her head. “You mean Sebastian?”
I nod.
“Oh Emily…” she whispers. “Why? I thought you were in love with River?”
I fight back tears. I fucking hate tears, especially over a man. “I am. I admitted my feelings to River, but he didn’t say it back. Then he just disappeared. And Sebastian… I don’t know. Maybe because for a moment he was hurting as much as I was…or maybe because I just wanted to forget about River. Or maybe I’m just a damned idiot.”
Sienna exhales sharply and drags a hand through her hair. “Don’t beat yourself up about this. It’s what we’re here for—to get to knowallthe men. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
