“Oh, heavens no! I made her crazy when she was a teenager. I’d steal her clothes and tell Mom if she snuck out of the house. I was awful, honestly, but we had each other’s backs when it mattered.”

“Well, if you and Liam ever decide to relocate, I know she’d love to have you in Jackson Harbor.”

Saanvi pats my shoulder. “Thanks, Carter. That’s good to hear.” She takes a few steps away then hesitates for a beat before turning back to me. “I’m sorry Rich is here this weekend.”

I shrug, as if it never even crossed my mind. As if Rich’s presence isn’t the very reason I’m standing here, pretending to be a loving boyfriend when I’ve dodged commitment for the last six months. Rich isn’t at this dinner, for whatever reason. The moment the bus started pulling away tonight, Teagan’s posture shifted as the weight lifted from her shoulders. It took me a minute to realize why—Rich wasn’t with us. My mind keeps spinning with theories about their relationship. Was he abusive? Controlling beyond what she described? Possessive?

“He’s still in love with her,” Saanvi says softly. “And if he thinks he has a chance, he’ll fight for her.”

“Don’t worry,” I say. “I’ll fight harder.”

“I’m rooting for you.” She winks and wanders across the room to talk to another guest.

“Me too,” I murmur to myself. Then I draw in a deep breath, because I realize I mean it.

Teagan crosses the room to me. “Was Saanvi telling you all my secrets?”

“Surely you don’t keep any secrets from me, amygdala.”

She laughs. “Whipping out the big words doesn’t make your awful nicknames any funnier, Carter.”

“But I made you laugh, didn’t I?” My phone rings. When I pull it from my pocket to silence it, I see the call is from Marta. “I’m sorry. I’m going to take this.”

Teagan nods. “Of course. No worries.”

Stepping away, I swipe to accept the call and put the phone to my ear. “Hello?”

“Oh, Carter, I’m so sorry to bother you. I was wondering if you could come over tonight. It’s Isaiah.”

Terror grips my lungs in a vise. “What happened?”

“No, no, nothing bad. I’m so sorry. He’s not eating and won’t take his pills. He doesn’t want to talk to me, and I wondered . . .”

“Sure. Of course.” I look at my watch, then at Teagan. I know she’ll understand, but I still feel bad for leaving. “I can be there in twenty minutes.”

Carter

“You didn’t have to come,” I tell Teagan as we climb out of the cab. I didn’t want to wait for the party bus to take me back to my car at the bed and breakfast, but when I told Teagan what I was ordering a cab for, she insisted on coming.

“I wanted to.” Her heels click on the sidewalk beside me, and she slides her hand into mine. “I have a soft spot for this kid, and if he won’t listen to his grandmother about the meds, maybe he’ll listen to his nurse.”