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“But—”
“Did he give you that bruise?”
“What?” Paige shook her head. “No, of course not. He actually—”
“Look, I know how charming he can be,” Kayla spoke over her. “I fell for his lines too, remember. He can’t be trusted. Please don’t let him use you. He could hurt you so easily. Just think about how much he’s already hurt you, hurt all of us.”
Frowning, Paige lifted her hands to hush her friend. “No, just stop. Please. He’s never used a line on me.”
Kayla heaved in a long sigh, the one she made right before she started a long-winded, parental lecture. “Paige, listen to me.”
Paige grasped both of her hands insistently. “No, you listen. You don’t know him the way I do. You haven’t seen what he’s like now. Trace’s death changed him. He…he’s not charming at all.”
Kayla lifted an eyebrow as if to ask, then why the heck do you like him?
Paige flushed. “I…he…he’s quiet and serious and intense. And when he manages to smile, it almost hurts to look at him because he’s still so tormented. But I get him. I understand the most elemental part of him because it’s like…it’s like seeing…me. And…and…he likes me too. A lot.”
“I…” Kayla shook her head and gave a nervous laugh. “I don’t know what to say. I just…this is the last thing I ever thought to hear come from your mouth. You’ve never really liked a certain guy before.”
“Well, I like him.” Paige took a deep breath and plunged in. “I’m pretty sure I love him.”
Kayla’s mouth dropped open. “Okay, that is the very last thing I ever thought I’d hear you say. Wow.” She shook her head as if to clear it. “But seriously. Wow. You’ve never even talked about liking a boy before. And now suddenly you’re in love with Logan Xander? You certainly don’t choose the easy path, do you?”
Paige bit her lip and shook her head.
“Well, okay.” Kayla squeezed her eyes closed before she opened them and shrugged. “I guess I can say one thing for him. After…after it happened, he stayed with me…with Trace and me. Everyone else took off, even Trace’s friends. They just disappeared, scattering as soon as it happened. But Xander fell onto his knees on the other side of Trace and used his cell phone to call the police. He didn’t budge once as I bawled all over Trace’s body, not until help arrived. He even reached out and closed Trace’s eyes. I think I appreciated that more than anything.”
Paige pulled Kayla into a hug. “He’s a good person. No matter what happened three years ago, he’s paid for it for too long. And I think I help heal him.”
Kayla nodded. “Well, then, I think if you really want to be with him, I’ll support any decision you make.” Then she winced. “But I wouldn’t tell your dad about it for a while if I were you.”
Paige snickered. “No, I hadn’t planned on it quite yet either.”
She stayed with Kayla and talked for almost an hour. But since she was scheduled to work that evening, and there was one more stop she wanted to make before leaving the county, she hugged her friend goodbye and headed out.
When she arrived in Village Heights fifteen minutes later, she stopped at a gas station to borrow a telephone book. After she found the address for Roderick Xander, it took less than five minutes for her to pull to the curb in front of a stately, two-story estate.
Wringing her hands, she walked slowly to the front door and rang the bell. She almost expected a servant to answer, so when Logan’s father pulled the door open, she took an immediate, leery step back, not prepared to jump into this quite yet.
“Can I help you?” he asked.
“I…yes. Hello. I…I’m Paige Zukowski. My brother was—”
“We know,” he bit off abruptly, his eyes chilling. “And you’ve come to the wrong place. We don’t know where he is.”
Paige frowned. “Where…who is?”
“Logan. If you’re here to see to him, he’s not here.”
“Oh. I know that.” Paige fumbled a moment, not sure how to proceed. “I mean, I know he’s not here. But that’s not why I’m here. I mean, it is. Kind of.”
The words sounded bumbled on her tongue. Even Mr. Xander cocked his head, looking bewildered as he studied her. When his wife appeared beside him, setting her hand on his arm, Paige glanced at both of them and started again.
“I’m sorry. I realize I’m messing this up. I just…I didn’t come to see him. I came to talk to you. To the both of you.”
“We don’t have anything to say about that night,” Mrs. Xander said, her voice chilly and strained. “I’m sorry.”
When she began to shut the door, Paige threw out her hand to block it. “No. Wait! Please. I know you kicked him out after helping him with his legal matters, and I…I…I just wanted to let you know I think you made a big mistake in doing that.”
