Page 8 of The Allure of Ruins

“Okay,” she whispered, and I heard it then. She wasn’t fighting me, I suspected, because she was still a bit spooked from Dumont giving her the attention of a woman he was interested in and not his boss’s underage daughter.

“That’s what it’s like in clubs too, unless one of your guy friends is going to stick to you like glue all night. But they probably want to pick someone up, so where does that leave you?”

“I get it.”

I stared into her big brown eyes. “I’m really not trying to frighten you. I just want you to be careful.”

“No, I know,” she said, giving me a hint of a smile. “Who even was that guy?”

I winced.

“He works for my dad, right?”

I nodded. “That’s Jonah Dumont.”

“Dumont? Really? I think his daughter is in my geometry class.”

“Maybe don’t tell her.”

She put up both hands. “Don’t even worry.”

“Okay, so where’s your phone?” She pointed in the living room, and I saw the tiny drawstring black-sequin bag. “Let’s go get it, because I want you to call me, and I’m gonna save your number, so if anything weird ever happens, you’ll have another person to call if you can’t reach your dad or whoever he’s dating.”

“Oh, I am not making friends with any of those whores he’s dating.”

“Whores?” I grimaced. “Isn’t the one he’s seeing now an oil and gas heiress or something? I thought I read that.”

“I swear to God she’s maybe five years older than me.”

“She is not.”

“Swear to God, look it up.”

I pulled my phone, and she leaned in close so we both saw my screen. When her age came up as twenty-three, we both ewwed.

“Told you,” she said with a shiver.

“It’s probably uncomplicated.”

“Double eww.”

“I don’t really have anything to say.”

She grunted.

“None of this is the point. All I wanted was for you to know you can call me.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course.”

A real smile then, finally, tremulous but real, lit her sweet face. “I’d love to be friends. What’s your name?”

“Pax.”

“Is that short for something?”

“Paxton.”