The fire pit was roaring out back, and Jared thrust a beer into my hand the moment I stepped outside. A few more of his doctor friends that I’d met at one time or another were huddled around the fire, but he pulled me away from them after I said my hellos. He’d been strange about the news of my trip to Costa Rica, even though he was the one who suggested it. Maybe he hadn’t anticipated that I would be gone indefinitely. To be honest, I hadn’t, either. But when I made the reservations, I thought it was important not to put a deadline on this period of growth in any way. This trip was about me finding myself, and who knew how long that would take?

“Sorry about that whole Tomika situation. I told Brandi it was pointless, but she seems convinced that Mika will change your mind about leaving.”

I chuckled and glanced back at the striking beauty still reclined on the couch.

Jared gave me a sidelong glance with one brow raised. “Did it work?” he asked.

“I mean, she’s sexy as fuck and definitely seems interesting, but…” I let the thought trail off as I shook my head.

“I didn’t think so,” Jared said with a laugh. But his laugh sounded strange. A bit forced. “I think Brandi is taking this a little hard, so excuse her if she goes a little overboard today.”

“I expected nothing less,” I said, taking a swig of my beer.

“What did you decide to do with your condo?”

“Juana’s gonna move in.”

He gave me another look. “You serious? You’re so particular about your space. I can’t believe you’re gonna let lil’ sis move in. You know she’s gonna trash it, right?”

“Eh… I thought about that, but honestly, I’ll probably end up selling it to her in the end. When I come back—”

“If you come back,” Jared corrected.

“No, when I come the fuck back,” I reiterated, “I don’t think I’m gonna want to move back in there.”

“Wow, you’re really burning it all down, huh?”

“Isn’t that what you suggested?”

“I said take a fucking vacation, Tomás. Not fall off the grid,” he spat.

“Well, I have the kind of life that requires a real disconnect. Believe me, if this could be resolved with a seven-day cruise, I would’ve done that.”

“So you’re clear on what you need to escape now?”

“Definitely. I was always clear on that,” I said with a nod.

“Care to share?”

“Nope.”

“Figured as much,” he said, a smile quirking the corners of his mouth as he brought his beer to his lips. “You’re good, though, right?”