Heath wasn’t in the living room anymore when I emerged from Margo’s bedroom. But lucky me, Rathe was still sitting on the sofa. His gaze met mine as he drank from his cup. Either I was going to have to avoid my friends’ apartment or learn to deal with this uneasiness I felt around him. He was here now, and unless Heath found a reason to, he wouldn’t send Rathe packing anytime soon. This was currently the only safe place I had to escape to when I wanted to get away from my family. My cousin Duely’s was also an option but one never knew what activities Duely was involved in, at any given moment. So, running off to his place wasn’t always a good idea.

“Heath went to get ready,” Rathe said then shifted his eyes to the door I had just closed behind me. “Guess it’ll just be the two of you at breakfast.” Rathe made it sound like I preferred to be with Heath alone. I wasn’t sure why he said that so I let it go.

“She’s passed back out,” I said simply.

“She drank a lot last night.” He pointed out the obvious.

I didn’t say anything in response. Instead, I walked through the living area toward the tiny corner kitchen. For the most part, their apartment had an open floor plan. The guys’ bedrooms were to the left, and Margo’s was to the right of the living room, closer to the kitchen. I wasn’t sure what I was going to the kitchen to get, but I didn’t like the way Rathe made me feel. I needed to do something other than continue this small talk we were doing.

Before I reached the kitchen, I heard a bedroom door open from the hallway. Heath was ready. Most of the time when I saw Mary, she would be by his side. She seemed more protective of Heath. I often wondered about that. Did she feel he was the weaker of the two? I wanted to ask her, but I’d never been given a chance. It was rare I saw her without her siblings. Today, she was with Margo while we were going out. That was odd, too. Why did she think Margo needed her today?

FIVE: THE BREAKFAST

Five

The Breakfast

Our regular booth at The Bacon House was taken. If Margo had come with us this morning it would have been more dramatic. She liked to sit in that spot only. Perfect lighting for photos. Margo’s obsession with Instagram and posting pictures of everything she does in her life could get annoying. I had no doubt she would have insisted we wait until her booth opened if she was here.