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But Thea did whatever Thea wanted. Maybe that was why we worked as friends. She ignored any walls I put up, and whenever I wouldn’t speak up for myself, she’d do it for me.
“Sure is. William thought it was time to upgrade.”
William thought it was time to upgrade anything about five minutes after he bought it.
I watched the familiar sights fly past the window, but the sense of unease in my stomach didn’t disappear. Maybe once I returned to my apartment, I’d start feeling more at peace.
Thea stopped at our favorite coffee shop, The Mission, on the way, the coffee ready and waiting. She liked to call ahead to order so she didn’t have to stand in line. But I wasn’t complaining, since it meant all I had to do was jump out and grab the cups.
We finally pulled into the familiar surroundings of University City. I lived in a nondescript apartment building, most likely the oldest in the area. But San Diego real estate was expensive, and even my outdated, small two-bedroom apartment still cost a mint.
Thea lived in La Jolla Farms, which was a short drive away. Her house sat atop the cliffs and had more bathrooms than a hotel. She didn’t have kids, so it was only her and her husband living in a place big enough to accommodate an entire football team.
She double-parked, turning the engine off. “Okay, so here’s the plan. Pack a bag, then stay with me for the next week. William is away on business, so it’s just us.”
Despite her husband’s stuffy personality and the fact that he was older than my dad, we got along well. He adored Thea, and she seemed to return the feeling. It was an odd relationship, but it worked for them. And who was I to judge? I didn’t evenhavea relationship.
Staying with Thea always felt like a vacation. But I wanted to be around my things. Preferably by myself. I had a lot more crying to do.
“I was thinking I should be home for a while.”
After jumping out of the car, she grabbed my hand and dragged me out of my seat, then inside. “Nonsense. I know you’ll sink into a black hole, and then I’ll have to do double the work to pull you out. You’re staying with me.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
But when I walked into my apartment that still looked exactly the same as when I left, I thought maybe she had a point. Same boring gray walls, same depressing view of the back of another small apartment block.
Thea had a spare key and had come in every few days to water my plants. I’d lost my key somewhere in Guyana and was grateful I didn’t have to call the building manager.
Ignoring my protest, she packed a bag. I gave in and helped or risked ending up with only bikinis. We were back in her car twenty minutes later. The car that still stood double-parked without a ticket or damage.
“We’re doing a spa day today, since I figured you’d be tired from your flight. And then tomorrow we’ll go sailing.”
I groaned. I hated sailing and spent half the time bent over the side throwing up. That would be one way to distract me. I doubted I’d be thinking about anything but how to hold on to my breakfast the whole time. “Do we have to? We could hang out by your pool instead.”
Thea shot me a pointed look, and I glared at her. I negotiated what we would do for the next few days the rest of the drive, replacing hang gliding with kayaking and scuba diving with snorkeling.
The sight of her home always took my breath away. The gigantic building nestled in the cliffs amid the trees, trying its best to blend in despite its size. Huge walls too high to climb surrounded the property, cameras and alarms set up everywhere.
I spotted a guard patrolling the grounds and raised a brow at my friend. That was new.
She parked the car and shrugged. “We had a few issues, so William thought it was safer to get a guard.”
We got out, and Thea waved to the guard, who gave her a chin lift and continued walking along the wall. I went toward what had become my room, and she veered off to the kitchen. “Join me once you’re settled in.”
Settling in meant dropping my bags in the giant walk-in closet only to find my clothes hung up and ironed a few hours later. I did just that, having given up stopping Thea’s housekeeper from doing the unnecessary work.
I joined her on their deck overlooking the ocean, where she had a full bottle of champagne on ice and two full glasses waiting.
With a satisfied sigh, I sank into the comfortable daybed next to hers and raised my glass. “To being back.”
Even if I felt like I was a guest in a life that was no longer mine.
Thea pinned me with a stare. “Now talk. And leave nothing out. I’ll know.”
I told her everything, finally able to talk to my best friend making me feel lighter than I had in a long time.
And she confessed to having someone look into Archer’s disappearance, despite William’s insistence that this was a job for the police. But none of us were any closer to finding him.
