“Where’s Heath?” I asked, when he didn’t seem to be following her. She finished her glass then licked her lips. “Be careful with that. It’s not beer. Slow down or you’ll be bent over in the bushes sick,” I warned her.

She rolled her eyes at me then pointed with her empty flute toward the west tent. “Your cousin is talking to him, the hot one who I can’t decide if he likes guys or girls.”

Heath would need rescuing from Duely. “He likes both. Duely is not picky when it comes to gender. He is just a lover,” I said, with a trace of amusement in my voice. Margo was sheltered. I knew it would startle her. The shocked expression on her face gave me a laugh. “Let’s go free Heath,” I said, heading toward the west tent.

“Okay wait… so he likes both… so that means he thinks Heath is better looking than me?” Margo asked as she fell into step beside me. “Because he seemed more interested in talking to Heath than he did me.”

Of course, that would be her first concern, which amused me even more. I just shook my head and laughed. It took us a few minutes to reach the tent. I didn’t know if Rathe had followed us or not. He’d been silent, and I had been trying my best not to look back to see if he was still with us; however, just walking off and saying nothing to him seemed rude. I glanced back, and he wasn’t there. I saw him talking to Leanne. She’d made her move to talk to him as soon as she saw an opportunity. The smile he was giving her told me he didn’t mind being left behind.

The sinking feeling that came with that knowledge was unexpected. My chest felt heavy, and something resembling disappointment settled in my gut. I shouldn’t be affected by the sight of them together. Rathe meant nothing to me, and until this evening, I had only been attracted to his outward beauty. Unfortunately, he’d let me see that he wasn’t just a pretty face. My guard had come down just enough to let myself hope Rathe was different, without even realizing I was doing it. It had only been a moment that made me change my opinion slightly. Nothing more than a mere moment. It shouldn’t have gotten to me like this. The sadness that came when he leaned in to whisper something in Leanne’s ear was bothersome.

“You need to warn him about her,” Margo whispered, as if they could hear us that far away. She was right, of course, he needed to be warned. I just didn’t know if I should do it.