Sav snorts. ‘If he tried making up for all his lost time, he’d still be doing it by the time he was in the grave.’

‘Savannah,’ sighs Pop with his best tired-parent voice. He’s adapting pretty fast. I’ve only been back for a few weeks, and already our parents have gone from excited to have both kids back home to quickly becoming sick of our bickering.

‘What?’ my sister whines. ‘He’s no exception just ’cause he’s famous.’ She puts on a high-pitched voice for the last word. Ma and Pop exchange a pursed-lipped look. They’re definitely holding back laughter now.

‘I’m trying my best!’ I protest.

There’s a moment of silence before our parents finally lose it, leaning on each other and laughing like they’re still our age, and everything is unserious again. Their infectious energy is one of my favourite things about them, but at that moment, it’s my ma’s advice that rings in my head.

You left that girl on her own for years.

Chapter Twelve

Puppy Dog

May

By the time I arrive at campus, I’ve already had a long morning so, with a groan, I swing myself out of my truck, cursing the work boots still on my feet. I never wear them out here if possible. It’s like wearing your house shoes out to buy groceries. That’s not accounting for the fact that – as much as Oklahoma is a major agriculture state – it’s still uncool to show up in boots unless it’s Thursday, Friday or Saturday night. I’d have remembered to take them off if it hadn’t been for Mumma and Papa.

The two of them have never really been social media users. So when Mumma held up the video of Colt and me at the bar the other night, stopping me in my tracks on my way out of the house, her eyebrows rising curiously, I honestly wasn’t sure what to say.

‘What should I make of this?’ She had smirked the sly sort of smirk that told me she’d already made something of this. ‘May, after all these years!’

Baffled, the words ‘It’s not like that’ had started to form in my throat before I remembered the game plan. My parents, naturally, would be the sort of weak link that could break the entire chain by telling the whole town what was going on before the last of the explanation had left my mouth. I, against my instinct, would have to uphold the lie.

Through gritted teeth, I had fabricated some sort of mangled response about us testing the waters, before I quickly headed away from the scene of the crime, realizing too late I still had my work boots on.