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“Bro, you gotta be kidding me right now. This is your one chance to make things right with the CO.” Gonzo wiped a thick arm over his forehead. “Friday is the day. Don’t blow this for a bunch of rich old ladies and the promise of a magic pussy.”

I hit the back of his head. “I haven’t forgotten about my meeting with Anderson. I’ll be ready”

“All right, enjoy your old ladies.” He jogged backward and winked at me. “And tell ‘Just Indy’ I said hello.”

“Fuck off,” I mumbled as I unlocked my door, unsettled by the conversation.

Gonzo was totally off base about me having feelings for Indy. Okay, so I had a couple fantasies about her as a teenager and I’d nearly kissed her once, and maybe I had thought about her every single day since I left Colorado, but my feelings for her had always been brotherly affection. After all, she was not only Josh’s little sister, she was also Ashleigh’s cousin. Family. She didn’t have Josh anymore and it was my fault, so it made perfect sense that I would feel this sense of obligation toward her.

Only it didn’t feel like obligation. I was enjoying it. Her little ruse was the only good thing in my life now. It just felt so—I don’t know—right to be with Indy. Like she was part of me somehow in a weird way. There was this past version of me that only she knew and that I’d lost sight of. I didn’t know who I was anymore. I’d been lost for a long time. So of course the idea of seeing her again filled me with anticipation. Even if it was just to tease her and make her roll her eyes at me.

Plus, not only had Indy’s lie brought Indy back into my life, it had also brought me back my mom. Before she’d passed away, I had promised my mom two things: that I’d keep dancing and that I’d never forget how much she loved me. The first promise I’d tried to keep, but life had gotten in the way. And the second promise, I was ashamed to admit, I hadn’t kept either. Mostly because I felt I didn’t deserve it. I’d made such a mess of things.

Yesterday, though, I’d felt a rush of adrenaline when I was spinning Indy across the floor. I could imagine my mom sitting on one of those ornate chairs, smiling. I’d felt closer to her than I had I years. And for that I was so damn grateful.

***

This time, Indy was waiting for me in the parking lot, looking stunning in a short jacket that tied around her waist, a silk skirt and high-heeled boots. A pair of dark sunglasses hid her eyes but not the deep frown on her face.

“’Sup, Ind—uh, Diana?” I asked as I slid out of the driver’s seat.

“I just found out that I’m supposed to film my interview for the documentary tomorrow,” she grumbled.

“That’s amazing! Why do you look so put out about it?”

She grimaced then rubbed her nose like she always did when she was embarrassed or trying hide something. “I don’t really want to do it. So if you could maybe step on my toes, push me into the canal while you’re spinning me around. That would be great.”

“Okay,” I laughed. I wanted to throw my arm around her shoulders and tousle her hair, but I resisted the urge and let her walk ahead of me. A decision I immediately regretted when my eyes fell to the curve of her ass under her silk skirt. It was hypnotic, the way the fabric slid over her, clinging to her, not in a vulgar way, but in a way that emphasized her svelte curves.

Get a hold of yourself. You should not be thinking about Indy’s ass. Fiero and Gonzo had clearly messed with my head.

I caught up with her, so I’d no longer be tempted to check her out. “I don’t get it. Isn’t this your dream?”

“God.” She sighed deeply and squeezed the bridge of her nose again. “I can’t believe I’m about to admit this. And to you of all people.”

Me of all people? That stung. I knew I deserved it. It’s not like I’d been there for her all these years. Behind the initial stab of pain though was an inkling of happiness. She was going to let me in again. “Go on.”

“The show is called Incredible Hoaxes.”

I waited for her to explain. Then realizing she was expecting a reaction, nodded and scratched my chin. “Right . . . ?”

She sighed again like I was some softheaded frat boy. “Hoaxes, Levi. You know those scams that gullible people fall for. Well, I fell for one.”

“You’re going to have to elaborate for me,” I said as I followed her cue and sat on the step leading straight into the canal.

“It’s a long story. How much time do you have?”

“For you, all the time in the world.” I wanted that to be true, but it fell flat and she looked at me like I was full of shit.

“After Josh’s accident, I needed a distraction.” She swallowed hard and I involuntarily rubbed at my lower abdomen. I felt like the air had been sucked out of me again. I nodded and, thankful for my sunglasses, studied the reflection of the rose-colored building in the water. “My parents sent me to a volunteer dig in Italy, an Etruscan necropolis not far from here, near Adria. I visited it once. And there was this one tomb . . . this may sound crazy . . .”

“No, go on,” I managed to say. My whole body had gone numb. I wanted to hear what she was going to say but dreaded it at the same time.

“When I was there, I felt this connection. To Josh.” She smoothed a hand over her skirt. “Does that ever happen to you?”

“Uh.” I again felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. Yeah, I knew exactly what she was talking about but for some reason couldn’t find the words.

So she continued, “It was weird because it’s not like he’d ever been there. But the Etruscans had this incredible view of death. They saw it as a continuation of life, like stepping into another room. And their tombs are these liminal spaces where life and afterlife mingle. They covered the walls with scenes from the person’s life. There was this one fresco—faded of course—but you could see three people. They were looking up at the sky and they were dancing. It reminded me of us, you know.”