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“What are we going to do about Harley?” Wren interjects. “Is there anywhere he would go? Anyone he trusts?”
Everyone falls quiet. The only person I can think of is Lachy, but it’s not like Harley would up and fly to Italy… right? I check my watch–it’s three in the morning in Salerno. I move into Wren and Brady’s bedroom for some privacy, losing the door behind me and perching on the edge of their bed. But all I can do is stare at my phone.
You can do this, Ivy. It’s for Harley.
I blow out a shaky breath and push past the pounding of my heart. I unblock Lachy’s number and press the call button.
It rings three times before he picks up. “Hello?” His voice is thick with sleep, and he’s fighting a yawn.
“Lachy? It’s Ivy.”
“Ivy?” He’s more alert. “What’s going on? What’s wrong?” I can hear a muffled female voice in the background, and I know Chiara’s there with him. I wait for the pain to hit, but it doesn’t–not like before.
“Have you heard from Harley?”
“Not since last week. Why?”
I let out the breath I’d been holding in hope that he’d reached out to his best mate. “It’s a long story. If he contacts you, can you tell him to call us?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“Thanks.” With nothing else to say, I pause. A long, awkward silence stretches between us. “I better go…”
“Wait!” There’s a rustling sound, then footsteps and a door closing. “Can we talk?”
I close my eyes. Am I ready for this?
“Please?”
“Okay.”
He breathes out a sigh of relief. “How are you?”
I roll my bottom lip between my teeth. “I’m good,” I finally say.
“I’m glad.” He pauses. “Ives, I’m so sorry–for everything. I want you to know that.”
“I do.” We’ve been friends for over twenty years. What he did hurt, but I understand now that he was going through some heavy things after he lost his Mum. I know now why he wanted to leave. I just wasn’t expecting him to move on so quickly. “Are you happy?”
He clears his throat. “Yeah, I am. What about you?”
“I’m seeing someone,” I blurt out, then immediately palm my forehead. That’s not what he asked. He asked if I was happy. I don’t need a man to make me happy. “I mean, Iamhappy. It just so happens that I’m also seeing someone.”
Lachy chuckles, a sound I haven’t heard in a long time. “I’m happy for you. Anyone I know?”
My stomach does backflips. “Conrad Foster.”
There’s another pause before Lachy chokes out, “Geez, Ivy.” My stomach drops. I prepare for him to voice his opinion against Conrad, but he surprises me yet again. “That’s probably the last name I expected you to say, but you’re a good judge of character. If he makes you happy, that’s all that matters to me.” He snorts. “I bet Brady and Jordan had something to say about that when they found out.”
I groan. “Brady wasn’t very happy about it,” I admit. “But… uh, your brother doesn’t know about it yet, so I’d appreciate it if you let me tell him.”
“I won’t say anything… Is that why you’re calling to check up on Harley? Did he react badly when you told him you were dating Conrad?” His tone is light, but he doesn’t realise how close to the truth he actually is. I keep quiet though–it’s not my secret to tell.
“There’s a lot going on here at the moment. But if you do hear from him–”
“I’ll let you know,” Lachy assures me. He yawns. “Listen, as much as I’ve missed talking to you, I’ve got to get up early.”
“Of course,” I rush out. “It was… it was good to talk to you, Lachy.”
