"No problem," I said then turned to Hazel who was grinning. "See you around."
She nodded. "I hope you find something to make your summer suck less."
I returned her smile and said, "Yeah, I hope you do too."
Tolliver looked between the two of us. "What are you guys talking about?"
"Nothing," we said in unison.
"Okay..." He shot Hazel a puzzled smile. "Next time, don't disrupt my practice, Haze."
She scoffed. "You were plenty distracted without me being there. In fact, I'm not sure I've ever seen you that distracted, Tolliver."
He rolled his eyes and turned to me. "Freya, you ready?"
"Yeah," I said and walked closer to the SUV.
He was still holding the door open, but I stopped in surprise when he offered his other hand palm up to help me inside.
I placed my good hand in his, and as those warm, strong fingers wrapped around mine, my breath caught.
"You okay?" he asked quietly.
"Mm hm," I murmured, stepping inside and taking a seat.
His touch lingered, but then as if realizing we were still holding hands, he drew back and cleared his throat. As Tolliver closed the door and went to the driver's side, Elle said, "Well, that was interesting."
She was sitting next to me in the backseat, studying my face, having apparently watched the whole thing.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"Freya," I said.
"Yeah, but who are you to Tolliver?"
"No one."
She arched a brow in disbelief. "If that's true, why is my brother so flustered?"
I opened my mouth to respond, but Eli, in the front seat, beat me to it.
"Because she's so pretty," he said.
I scoffed. "I'm really not, Eli. But thanks."
"Welcome, Freya."
Elle was still studying me from her seat. "Are you friends with Hazel Kowalski?" she said next.
I thought about it then said, "Yeah, I guess we are."
She nodded. "She's cool. I guess that means you are too," she said as Tolliver slid into the driver's seat. "I'm Elle."
"I know. Eli says you're his favorite."
Her eyes gleamed. "That's because he's the smart one."
Eli laughed, and Tolliver turned around to face us.
