But all of a sudden, she hated denying the night she’d spent with Tyler. The kissing in the darkness, surrounded by his arms, her ears full of his raspy voice and the strum of his guitar.

Becca was staring at her.

“With Nick,” Quinn finished.

And of course, thinking of kissing Nick felt . . . wrong. She remembered what a fool she’d made of herself that night he’d let her sleep in his bed. She turned away from Becca again. “I need to get to class.”

Becca didn’t say anything for the longest time, until Quinn didn’t think she was going to bother.

And that, more than anything, made Quinn’s throat tighten.

Then Becca called, “I miss you.”

Quinn hesitated. She wondered what would happen if she turned around, walked back to Becca, and told her everything.

She thought of the cops coming to her apartment, and wondered if she even had a home to return to. She had no illusions that she could keep sleeping in Tyler’s second bedroom. She didn’t even know if she wanted to.

But Becca wouldn’t understand this. There were too many variables, too many what-ifs. Too many secrets.

Quinn looked at her. “I miss you, too.” Then she turned around and kept walking.

Becca didn’t come after her.

And the worst part was, Quinn really wished she would.

CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 17

Nick had had no idea babysitting would be so exhausting.

He and James played hide-and-seek in the woods until dark. Not much of a challenge for Nick, who merely had to ask the air to locate the boy, but he could pretend to seek. Then tag. Then football in the lengthening shadows of twilight. Nick made a good show of falling down when sixty pounds of kindergartner tackled him.

Just when the edge of the sun dropped below the horizon, something foreign brushed Nick’s senses.

It didn’t feel malicious, but Nick grabbed James, tossing the boy in the air while he laughed and shrieked.

Nick ignored that and cast his senses wide.

Nothing.

He dragged James inside anyway. The kid promptly dumped a massive plastic tub of Legos in the middle of the living room floor.

Then he grinned up at Nick. “Can we build a whole city?”

So they built a whole city.

His phone buzzed around eight, just when he was telling James that yes, his mother did want him to brush his teeth. Nick slid the phone out of his pocket with his heart in his throat, hoping for a message from Adam.

He hadn’t heard from him all day.

Not Adam. Michael.

Hannah’s folks are going to come pick up James so he can sleep in his own bed.

And that was it. Typical.

Nick texted back.

How was dinner??

Terrifying.

A pause, then another message appeared.

Good call on the haircut.

Nick smiled.

“Can I play Angry Birds?” James asked through a mouthful of toothpaste.