Page 51 of Her Forever SEAL

Kayla read through everything twice.

“Kayla.” Cat had come back to her. “What’s going on? You look freaked.”

“Nothing.” She locked her phone and put it in her pocket. She looked up and made her face do the right thing. “Sorry. Just my mom. She's running late picking up Lisa.” She started walking again. “Tell me more about the band. What are they called?”

“Kayla, you said it was Bree.”

Kayla stopped again.

“Bree texted first and just said she missed us. Then mom texted.”

Cat gave her a long look. “I’m going to give you that, cause you’re my friend. But friends are only allowed one lie a week. Are we clear?”

Kayla gave Cat a weak nod.

“In that case, on a scale of one to ten. One being not interested at all, and ten being I am dying to kiss him. How interested are you in Connor?”

Kayla looked up and saw her mom’s car. “Mom’s here.”

“You have to tell me the truth. It’s a rule.”

“A seven. Okay? A seven.”

She ran across the field to the SUV, doing everything she could to keep it together. As soon as she opened the door, she started shaking.

16

Sophia looked at her daughter and nodded.

Kayla sat up straight on the stool. She took in a breath, and Sophia could see her organizing her thoughts, just the way that Mason did. God, she was her father’s daughter.

She looked straight at Lydia and Rylie who were standing on the other side of the island, their faces intent. Then she told them everything.

How Mandy hadn’t been at practice, which went long. Walking off the field with Cat. Being invited to a show, and then there was the text.

Kayla had her phone on the counter in front of her.

She read it verbatim. Calm. Cool. Collected.

Her father’s daughter.

“Can I see?” Lydia asked.

Kayla handed her the phone. Sophia watched Lydia's eyes move through the messages twice, the second time slower. She watched Rylie read it once and go very still in the particular way when she was already working on something inside her head.

Neither of them said anything for a moment.

“She got to her own phone,” Rylie said finally.

“I must have been the last one she texted. It’s the only reason I can think of that she texted me and not her mom.” Saying the word Mom made Kayla’s voice wobble.

“Your friend is amazing, Kayla. I don’t know how she managed to get her hands on her phone, but she did it. She did it, and she got us information we can use,” Rylie said.

“But she gave us that information because you asked the right questions. You did good, sweetheart.” Lydia’s voice was fierce.

Kayla flushed.

Sophia stopped herself from hugging her daughter, but it was a near thing. She could see that Kayla was still working to keep herself together, and she didn’t want to do anything to stop that process, but damn, she was proud of her.