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So, I feel ready to face another dull day. Or at least I thought I was until I walk into the kitchen and find Cade not only still in my house but sitting across the table from my mom and Ryder, eating breakfast. Mom is the first to notice me gawking from the threshold.
“Morning, sweetie. I made pancakes.” She motions to the open seat beside Cade.
Um. Okay. “Not hungry.” Like at all.
They all continue eating, like this scene is normal. Not that Mom could stop me from having Cade over, but her welcoming him to the breakfast table seems like strange behavior. Ever since our infamous girls’ trip to Colorado, her main goal has been keeping Cade and me apart. Not that she’d needed to put much effort into that task until recently. But now it looks like she’s surrendered and welcomed him with open arms. Fuck that. I’m not feeling the same forgiveness in my heart. At all.
“Oh, Morgan,” Mom calls out when I reach the doorway on my way out. I stop and turn to look at her as she informs me, “That storm is looking more and more like it’s heading this way. So go ahead and pack up tonight in case we have to evacuate.”
“Sure thing,” I reply back, though I have no intention of spending a few days at the ranch in Texas with my parents. I’d rather deal with the hurricane.
When I’m finally out of the house and have dropped into my car, I head to the café nearby. Because having coffee with the three of them didn’t sound like it’d make for an invigorating start to the morning.
While standing in line, I don’t realize someone familiar is nearby until I hear Topher’s voice from behind me. “Morgan, I really need to talk to you.”
“Okay. So, talk.” I impatiently listen to the guy in front of me place his order.
“Is Lenny gone for good?”
The question catches me off guard a tad, but I keep my eyes forward as I reply, “How the fuck am I supposed to know?”
“Because you always know what’s going on. And something is off about the messages he keeps sending me. And the way Ava is acting.” Topher pauses as I keep a deadpan expression and look to him as he finally spits out the last part. “And from the phone call.”
“You talked to Lenny?” Yeah. That’s crazy since the dude is six feet under.
“Last night.”
So, somebody is really fucking with us… or something else is going on. “What’d he say?”
“Just that he wasn’t sure if he’d be back.”
“Okay.” This is really getting bizarre. “Well, tell him I need to speak with him the next time he calls.” With any luck, that doesn’t sound too abnormal of a request to Topher, and whoever gets the message will know that I won’t back down from whatever game they have planned.
“Lenny’s dad said he hadn’t talked to him in days and is happy he’s finally out of his hair.”
“Can’t blame the guy. His son was a dick.”
“Was?” Topher asks as I step forward.
Looking to the barista, I calmly order a latte. Then she glances over my shoulder to Topher. “Are you ordering together?”
“Why not,” I respond to her then tell Topher, “Order something. Seems like you need decaf though.” He’s really strung out. He wasn’t even friends with Lenny, so why the concern? And why has the mystery stalker selected Toph as the one to receive the messages from the dead idiot.
“A large coffee,” he says quickly, then spins around as he steps out of line to where the drinks are being placed on a counter. Only it’s not our drinks that are done, so several patrons shift around him, reaching for their beverages impatiently as Topher paces.
“Dude, seriously. What is up with you?”
“She won’t speak to me. She won’t even give me the time of day.”
“‘She’ as in who?”
“Ava,” he huffs, his shoulders slumping forward a bit as his body finally unwinds a little.
“All of this is about that wench?”
His posture resumes some harshness as he moves next to me. “Stop treating her like shit, Morgan. She doesn’t deserve half the crap that bastard’s dealt her. And now if he’s supposedly gone, I’m trying to make sure she understands that. But I think she’s waiting on him to come back. Why else wouldn’t she give me a chance?”
I think I’m going to puke. He’s pining after Ava of all people and trying to be Mr. Savior. Him and Cade should start a club or something. “Beats me. But don’t expect me to be Team Ava just because you like her pussy.”
