Page 31 of Touch of Heartache


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Giggling, Lilac fished her phone out of her purse. It had a glittery fake white diamond case. “It’s pretty,” she said, plopping it on his lap. He flipped it over. There was a Tildy Tapir sticker at the bottom. The tapir that had seeped into his blood and even haunted his dreams after all these years was no longer that cute in his eyes, though the little cartoon starlet did her darndest in that pose winking up at him. “Can I see if your aunt called you?” he asked, nudging her and pointing to thescreen.

“She didn’t,” said Lilac, sighing like he was the most annoying person she’d ever encountered. She unlocked the screen and there was a text there from someone namedGavin.

Nolan’s heart sank. Was she in a relationship? Had she been fighting withhim?

Where are you??the textread.

“Lilac, someone named Gavin is asking where you are,” saidNolan.

Lilac snorted and peered over at the screen, tapping the message and bringing up the full exchange. She scrolled up the exchange, laughing all the while. Nolan didn’t want to pry too much, but he did anyway. There was a lot of concern in Gavin’s messages, demanding to know what had happened, begging Lilac to reply. At one point, he said he had to run to the airport to help someone named Brielle with her sister, but Lilac had had no response. Then a few hours later, he’d checked in with her again and she’d replied with an emoji and “I’m drunk~~~” although earlier in the conversation, she’d insisted she was fine and to leave her be. Once she’d asked for him to stop poking his nose into her business all the damntime.

“You are nosy,” said Lilac, and he looked down to find her staring up at him. Damn, she looked so innocent and beautiful. She leaned up, aiming her lips at his cheek and he slid out of her path, as much as he hatedto.

“Can you send a message to this Gavin?” he asked. “The guy seems worried aboutyou.”

“You do it,” said Lilac, pouting and crossing her arms. “Tell him I’m busy because I’m going to fuck SillySandgrouse.”

Like I would ever send a stranger a message saying that, thought Nolan. He wondered if drunken consent to use someone’s phone was still out of line, but perhaps this guy could help him make sense of what todo.

This is Nolan, he typed.Lilac’s coworker. I bumped into her at a bar and she’s plastered.He hit “send.”

Gavin started typing almost immediately, then stopped suddenly, a message never sent. Then the phone started ringing and Nolan saw the name “Gavin” comeup.

“He’s calling you,” saidNolan.

“Who?” asked Lilacdreamily.

“Gavin.”

Sheshrugged.

“You have to answer,” said Nolan. “He’s probably going to call the police if you don’t.” He winced, wondering what the guy thought Nolan was doing withher.

Sighing, Lilac held her hand out. Nolan dropped the phone into it and she swiped to answer, holding it to herear.

“Hell-o,” shesang.

She giggled as Gavin spoke, but Nolan couldn’t make out what he said toher.

“I’m fine. I’mfine. I know I sound drunk. Iamdrunk.”

Lilac stared up at Nolan then. “He’s my sandgrouse. Silly Sandgrouse. Yes,thatone.”

Nolan wondered then what she could mean. Gavin must have asked who he was, but… Had she ever spoken to this guy about him?Why?

Why on Earth would she have ever spared a second’s thought forhim?

“Yes, he’s a gerfect pentleman,” she said, slurring her words together. “He took me to a park. I told him to fuck me in the bar and he took me to the park.” She giggled, and after a moment she held the phone in the air and shook it back and forth playfully. “He wants to speak to you,” she loud-whispered again, bursting harder into laughter as Nolan took the phone fromher.

“Hello?” askedNolan.

“What the hell is going on?” asked Gavinabruptly.

Nolan felt as if he’d been smacked. He was only helping her. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I ran into her at a bar and she had a few too many before I even got there.” Lilac leaned against him then, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder and closing her eyes. “I don’t know what to do. She doesn’t want me to call her aunt, but I think I have to. I don’t know where shelives.”

Gavin sighed audibly, more in what was clearly relief than frustration. “So you twohaven’t—?”

“No!” said Nolan, perhaps almost too quickly. “I would never… She’sdrunkand… I barely knowher.”

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