I frowned at the boxy, low-to-the-ground, likely-too-small-for his-tall-frame sofa. "You sure you'll be okay there?"
"Yeah." As if to prove his point, he sat then laid down. Although his feet were slightly hanging over one edge, the guy looked comfy as a clam. "It's perfect. I can sleep anywhere."
"Alright, if you're sure."
"No worries, Kent."
With that settled and the girls all getting their things ready for bed, I went to the side of the room. It was about time for me to call my dad. On our previous talks, I hadn't mentioned Tolliver. But I knew I had to do it this time. Taking a deep breath, I hoped for the best.
"Freya," he said, sounding like he was smiling. "How was the concert?"
"Unforgettable," I said. "Dad, Aurora looked so good."
"Glad to hear it."
"Seriously, she's having the time of her life. We could see everything, and the music was phenomenal, even if we were in the nosebleed seats."
Scarlett raised her voice. "Which was exactly where we wanted to be, so Ror wouldn't spot us."
That was true.
I'd specifically asked Scarlett to make sure we got seats that wouldn't put us in her sightline. Everything had worked perfectly. Part of me was still waiting for the fallout.
Dad laughed. "Was that Scarlett?"
"Yeah," I said, "she's here, and so are Voila and Lottie."
"Tell them I said hi."
"Dad says hi," I relayed the message, and their answering replies tumbled over each other.
"Sounds like a lot of people in that room," he quipped.
"There is." That was the best lead-in I could've had, so I charged forward. "Hey, Dad. I need to tell you something."
"Is it bad?"
"Not really."
"Did something happen? Are one of you hurt?" he said anxiously.
"No, we're fine," I said, hearing his sigh of relief.
"You scared me. For a second, I thought there was something wrong."
"Well..."
"Freya?"
"Okay, so don't freak out, but Tolliver's here too."
Complete silence.
"He was at the gas station—remember, you told me to get gas? Anyway, he got in the car. I think he was worried about the long drive."
No answer.
"I didn't have the heart to throw him out, you know? So yeah, he tagged along. Lottie showed up unexpectedly too. She, Viola, and Scarlett are here. And..."
