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Clara gives me a skeptical look. “Raine, you always have more tears. And it’sTarzan. Don’t kid yourself.”
When she gets to her feet and crosses the room, I call out after her. “Hey, Clara.”
She pauses at the door to the bedroom. “Yeah?”
“I’m glad you’re here.”
Clara smiles that imperfect smile I’ve always loved. “Me too.”
Seventeen
Jack
It’s just past midnight when Raine calls me.
“I didn’t wake you, did I?” she says.
“I was reading.” Until I dozed off, anyway. The book is still open on my chest. I grab the Post-it I’ve been using as a bookmark. I found it stuck to my coat a few days ago when I was about to head home from work. Right away I recognized Raine’s handwriting. She must have left it before going upstairs for the night.I think you’d like this, it read. Beneath the message, she’d written a song title and artist. I listened to it on repeat for two days. It’s been stuck in my head ever since.
I stick the note in the book to mark my page, then set the book on my nightstand.
“Everything okay over there?” I ask, thinking of how she and Clara left the pub earlier. I texted Raine as soon as she left, but she didn’t answer. An hour or so afterward, she came downstairs to get Sebastian, but only stuck around long enough to tell me she’d call me later when I asked if she was okay. I kept checking my phone all night, waiting to hear from her. I lingered at the pub for a while afterit closed, just in case she called, but ran out of excuses to hang around.
“I’m really sorry for what happened,” she says. “I didn’t mean for things to get so heated.”
“I own a pub. Believe me, I’ve seen worse.”
Raine laughs.
“But everything’s okay?” I ask.
“Everything’s okay.”
“Good.”
There’s a brief pause. “Are you busy right now?” she asks.
I eye the book on my nightstand. “Very.”
“Too busy for a walking meeting?”
It takes me a moment to work out what she’s said, but as soon as I put it together, I roll from the bed, searching the floor for the black trousers I tossed there earlier. “I think I can reschedule some things.”
“Great. See you soon. I’ll meet you downstairs.”
When I near the door that leads upstairs to the flat a few minutes later, Raine flies out of it and skips over.
“So, where are we walking to?” I ask.
“The waterfront?”
I nod, and we set off down the street.
“And Clara?” I ask.
“Fast asleep with Princess Ugly. That cat is a traitor.” She turns to me, all excitement. “Oh! Do you want to listen to some music?”
“Sure,” I say.
