A feeling of dread settled in my stomach like something important had changed in the last few minutes, and we wouldn’t get back the ease we’d had with each other only a half hour ago.

Hearing him use the endearment did something for my nerves, but I was still feeling out of sorts. “I hope your dad is okay.”

“Me too.”

I saw him drive off, then walked into the guesthouse, worried for Elias and his family. I also had the feeling that the bubble we’d been in, where we pretended Elias and I could be lovers, had just burst.

Chapter 16

After stopping myself from trying to text Elias for the third time in the hour after he’d left, I decided I desperately needed a talking-to. I had to check in with Lucía, because if anyone could get me off the bullshit I was on right now, it was her. I opened the Skype app on my laptop, hoping she was around.

DestaJoyWalker: Code Red. CODE.RED.

Lucía.Woods: WTF? Please tell me you’re not skyping me after engaging in poor sexual choices.

DestaJoyWalker: OF COURSE I AM!!!!!!

Lucía.Woods: DON’T YELL AT ME!

DestaJoyWalker: I’m calling you!

I clicked on the video call icon, and within seconds she came on the screen.

She looked at my obvious case of “I just got railed” hair and shook her head. “Wow, you really went to town on that dick, huh? Dude was pulling hard on that cowlick of yours.” Her mouth was twitching from trying not to laugh.

“Hey!” I said, while trying to pat down the spikes of hair that were standing up every which way. “First of all, I didn’t give him a blowjob. Second, my cowlick has been a lot tamer since high school.”

She cackled, and I could tell it hadn’t escaped her that I failed to deny my sex hair.

“It’s not that bad! You’re such a jerk,” I said with a laugh.

That just made her bust up even harder. “Oh my God, you’re such a mess. Cute, but a mess. Okay seriously, though, what were you up to? I’ve got time. Moe’s down at the studio space doing their thing.”

I smiled at that. Luce’s partner was an incredibly talented sculptor and would go work on their stuff every weekend. “Oh, I can’t wait to see what they’re working on.”

She nodded, an adoring look all over her face. She only got that when Moe came up.