Page 54 of Spies Don’t Fall for Their Best Friend

Me.

Except she still doesn’t know what that means.

A typing bubble appears. Apparently, Reese is awake earlier than any librarian should be.

Reese: Did you survive your big day yesterday?

I guess it technically was yesterday. But for me, it’s still today. I type three different answers and erase all of them before responding.

Miles: Barely. Long meeting. High stakes. One guy took losing badly.

Reese: So, your basic Lancaster family game night.

Miles: Except the dress code was worse.

Reese: I don’t know. Your family takes game night fashion very seriously.

I smile, because Reese always makes me smile.

Then I look through the glass wall into the analysis room, where Charlie is examining a referral credential belonging to a criminal facilitator, and Emerson is strengthening the paper trail of a man who doesn’t exist.

When Reese asked about my day, I gave her three technically true statements, but not one honest answer. When I went to Reese’s house and held her all night, she let me see her without the jokes, the color, or the version of herself she thinks people find easiest to love.

Tonight, Celeste Alati chose Maxwell Shaw because I gave her exactly the man she wanted to see.

But I want Reese to choose me the same way Ledger says Zoe chooses him.

Fully. Freely. Knowing exactly who I am.

But standing in the most secret place in my life, with her messages glowing in my hand, I can’t escape the truth. Reese can’t choose the real me when I’ve never given her the chance to meet him.

CHAPTER 12

TWO RINGS AND A TORNADO

REESE

When I walk into Evelyn’s home, it hits me that nearly everyone I care deeply about is here. With the exception of Ledger and Zoe, it’s all the Lancasters, from the grandparents down to Heidi.

My eyes fall on Miles as I head back to the dining room. He’s standing near the table, chatting with Jace and Blake, wearing jeans and a dark green sweater. He looks normal until he shifts his weight and winces. Then his eyes find me and his expression softens into a smile. “Hey.”

“Hey,” I say back. It shouldn’t feel like such a significant word—we say it to each other all the time. But this is the first time I’ve seen him since I cried all over his shirt, fell asleep in his arms, and woke up at four in the morning wondering whether being best friends with him is still enough.

Now my face feels hot, and I’m not sure whether I’m supposed to hug him like normal, make a joke about the emotional breakdown he witnessed, or pretend the entire thing never happened. Miles solves the problem by stepping forward and wrapping his arms around me in a hug. It’s careful and brief, but still warm and familiar. Until his breath catches.

I pull away immediately. “You’re hurt.”

“I’m fine.”

“That’s not the sound someone makes when they’re fine.”

“Okay, you’re right. It was more of a slightly bruised sound.”

I look him over more carefully. There’s a faint scrape near his temple, another along his jaw, and a bruise disappearing beneath the collar of his sweater. “What happened?”

“Ledger and I may have gotten in a bit of a crash last night.”

I gasp. “Miles! How bad was it? Were you taken to the hospital?”