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“…always welcome to visit,” Tessa is saying.
“Thanks, Tessa. It means a lot.” Natalie doesn’t invite Tessa to come visit her, and it takes me a minute to realize I know exactly why.
The girls hug. I’m unprepared for the bolt of jealousy when I see her hug Parker as well. His hands linger, maybe as a test I fail. He’s one of my closest friends, and she’s not mine to be possessive of. But my emotions don’t seem to care.
I pop the screen door open and carry my bag—and Natalie’s—onto the porch and down the stairs. She follows a few seconds later. Neither Tessa nor Parker do. They’re probably already on their way down to the beach.
“You’re good to get back?” It’s all I can think to say as she joins me in the driveway.
Natalie nods, not looking at me. “Yeah. I’ll see you…” Her voice trails as she makes eye contact. “Actually, I guess I won’t. See you.”
It’s my turn to nod. “Right. You won’t.”
She shifts from foot to foot, sucking her bottom lip between her teeth—the way I did last night.
“You should take 195. There’s less tourist traffic.”
She rolls her eyes, finding my attempt at conversation just as lame as I am. “How about I just follow you?”
“Yeah. Sure.” I pull my keys out of my pocket, fiddling with the rough edges of the hard metal. I pull in a deep breath. “Was it…okay?”
She studies me for a moment. “It?”
“Last night,” I clarify.
“What? You want a review?”
I shake my head, scoffing a little. “Forget it. Drive safe.”
Natalie grabs my arm before I can step away. Reflexively, I glance at the front porch. There’s still no sign of Tessa or Parker.
She sighs, then drops her hand. “Why are you asking? I know you came. That’s all most guys care about.”
Something about her response chafes. Probably the casual insinuation that all I cared about was chasing my own pleasure. Plus the reminder she’s been intimate with other guys. “I’m asking because you’re the only one with something to compare it to.”
The sentence settles between us, gaining substance and strength with each second that passes.
“That was…you’d never…”
I shake my head.
Natalie stares at me, and I have absolutely no idea what she’s thinking. None at all. If she’s surprised or curious or disbelieving.
When she speaks again, it’s anticlimactic. “I’ll follow you.”
I nod. “Fine.”
She didn’t answer my question, but hell if I’m going to ask it again. I walk toward the sedan, not looking back.
“Liam?”
I drop my duffel by the banister. “Yeah, it’s me.”
My dad is sitting in the armchair by the bookcase, looking through a binder I’d bet my life contains football plays. He leans back and runs a hand through the dirty blond hair Maeve inherited. Mine is darker, just like our mom’s. “Have fun?”
“Uh-huh.” I lean a shoulder against one end of the opening that reveals most of the living room to the entryway. “Parker’s place was really nice. Right on the beach.”
“Good. You ran every day?”
