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Blood drained from my face. My phone slipped from my hand, dropping to the sidewalk with a muted clatter. Sera bent, picking it up. Noticing Pen on the screen, her eyes widened.
“Is she okay?” Pen asked.
Sera looked at me, then Pen. “Here, I’ll give you back to her.”
She handed me my phone. I barely saw Pen on the screen. “I’ll call you later, okay?”
She agreed, and I ended the call, sliding my phone in the back pocket of my cutoffs.
“What do you want?” I asked.
Her head tilted, her eyes pinching slightly. “I wanted to thank you.”
“Thank me?”
“Yes. Thank you. That was my second date with Nate and he…I don’t know, he was so charming, but in a way that was so intense, it kind of scared me. And then you came over, and what you said—I’m sorry he did that to you. I hate that it happened, but I guess, I really feel like you saved me. It could have been me too.”
I sucked in a breath. This wasn’t what I’d expected when she said she’d been with Nate. I thought maybe she was going to threaten to turn me in or yell at me for killing him. Not this. Definitely not this.
“I don’t know what to say.” I opened my mouth, but nothing else came out. I truly was at a loss for words.
Sera touched my forearm lightly. “After he died, I never told anyone what you said. I thought…well, I thought you wouldn’t want that information to be public. I just told the police he’d been upset after he saw you at the diner, stormed out, and left me there.”
I swallowed hard. “For the last two years, I’ve wondered why no one ever questioned me. It was you.”
She nodded. “It was me. Whatever happened to Nate, whatever the reason he crashed, he deserved it. I know it wasn’t only you he hurt. Since he died, I’ve heard things, and I just know…well, I hope he suffered.”
This freckle-faced girl, with her pretty auburn hair and bright smile, had a soul for vengeance. I was pretty certain I fell in love with her on the spot.
“I hope he did too.” I meant it. I hoped he died drowning in his own blood, picturing all the evil acts he’d committed. “Thank you for keeping me out of it. Thank you for keeping my secret.”
“You don’t have to thank me.” Her eyes met mine. “I would have told you sooner, but I didn’t know how to get in touch with you. I didn’t try as hard as I could have, I guess, because I wasn’t sure if you’d even want to hear from me. Then I recognized you the other night, and I knew I had to tell you.”
I let out a slightly caustic laugh. “I thought you were here to hit on Lock.”
Her eyes bugged. “No, I have a boyfriend and—wait, aren’t you together? I just assumed…”
“We’re something, not really defined, but—”
“But you don’t want some rando girl making a pass at him?” she supplied.
My laugh was less caustic, more sincere. “You’re cute as hell, so no, keep your adorable little hands off him.”
She held her hands up, which were surprisingly calloused. “I’m a drummer. There’s nothing adorable about these things.”
I huffed. “Really? I’m going to throw you in a river. You’re cool and pretty? Nope.”
She leaned in, cupping her mouth like she was telling me a secret. “I’m in the marching band.”
“Oh.” I pressed my lips together. “That’s…nice for you.”
She shrugged. “I love it, but yeah, nerd alert!” Snickering to herself, she lifted her wrist and frowned at her smartwatch. “Shit. I need to run. Literally. But maybe we could hang out again? Like, not in the middle of the sidewalk?”
Was I making a friend? Pen would be so, so proud of me.
“Let’s do that. You have my number. Text me when you’re free.”
When she disappeared down the sidewalk, I texted Pen I was fine and I’d call her back later as I walked to where Lachlan had been waiting. I propped my butt on the bumper beside him, releasing a long exhale.
