During my tour, I learned that Brooklyn was a voice actor and narrated audiobooks. She also had a booth in the back of Smutties where she worked. It was a tossup, and I was torn between all the beautiful love stories in paperback form and going into the back to watch Brooklyn work. The books won out but only because Brooklyn had taken the day off and she’d offered to let me come back anytime to watch.

Anytime.

That was what she’d said.

The same as Sadie had told me to come back to Treats, anytime.

The same as Letty had offered to take me to Spokane to shop, anytime.

Now was now, and I’d spilled my guts, leaving all three women staring at me with what looked like extreme anger mixed with compassion.

“And just like that, you believed Asher when he told you he was undercover?” Brooklyn asked.

I shrugged not knowing how to explain why exactly I’d believed him.

“I guess I just knew there was something off. He’d spent months in the club and hadn’t touched a single woman. Who pays all that money to belong to a sex club and then not have sex? And he looked seriously dejected every time he walked into a viewing room. Call it intuition or instinct but I trusted him.”

“Would you call it love?” Brooklyn pushed.

“I fell in love with him before I knew his name was Asher.”

“That’s so sweet,” Sadie put in.

I didn’t know if it was sweet or crazy.

“Wait.” Letty leaned forward and said, “Let’s go back to the part where your friends stopped calling.”

“I was brushing them off. Every waking moment I spent trying to find Elise or coming up with ways to find Elise or on the phone with the police. I didn’t have time for them, so they quit calling.”

I had no idea why I was defending my old friends. If I had to guess, I’d say it was habit or some sense of loyalty even though they’d easily turned their backs on me. Something that cut deep.

“Um, no!” Brooklyn snapped. “Just no. They were Elise’s friends, too. Their every waking moment should’ve been trying to find Elise. And if they couldn’t do that, then they should’ve spent their every waking moment supporting you.”

As soon as Brooklyn finished, Sadie jumped in. “Brook’s right. It’s not like you got a boyfriend and ditched them. Though at the beginning of a new relationship a friend knows things are intense and gives you space to spend time with your man. But you weren’t brushing them off, you were being a friend. Not just a good friend—a true friend.”

Hold it together, Sloane.

My gaze found the floor. I knew they were right; I hadn’t blown off my friends or ditched them or brushed them off. They’d let me down, but worse—they let down Elise. So even if I could’ve forgiven them for turning on me I would never forgive them for giving up on Elise.