Before I knew what was happening, he had crossed the kitchen and was in front of me. I wasn’t expecting the hug or the muffled “God, wasn’t that awkward” in the crook of my neck.

It was easy to hold still in his embrace, but then I stiffened and placed my hands on his waist, pushing him back. “I can’t do this right now, Chad. Why are you here?”

“I told you.” There was an undercurrent of frustration in his voice. “When I saw you on the beach, you were waiting for—” He broke off, frowning like he couldn’t remember the name. That was because I hadn’t given it to him.

“Levi,” I supplied.

“Levi?” Chad stared at me. “Penny’s mentor?” His eyes searched my face.

I frowned. Technically, I’d known him before she had. “Yeah,” I said, “my friend Levi. I wasn’t trying to hide it.”

Okay, so I sort of had been. But at the same time, I wasn’t trying to keep my relationship with him a secret. Everything we did, we did in public, not squirreled away in stolen moments. Unlike Chad and Elodie, I would never hide what I felt for Levi. I’d never sneak around with him, using my lighthouse as cover. A touch of anger ignited in my chest as I remembered the shifty way Chad had snuck up here last time.

“Does Penny know you’re here?” I asked, knowing I’d hit home when he flinched.

“I care about her.” He paused, then, hesitantly: “I care about y—”

“Don’t,” I said savagely, interrupting his sentence. “Don’t. If you cared about me, you wouldn’t have gone along with her icing me out. When I run into her on the street, she stares past me like I’m not even there. Things I used to be invited to?” I laughed bitterly. “I’m persona non grata around here these days because of her.”

Best friends weren’t supposed to be like paper kites in the wind. They were supposed to be people who wouldn’t float away, who would always be there.

His sigh was loud, heavy. It took up too much space in my small kitchen. “I thought I was making headway with her … and then when I saw you by yourself at the beach, I thought I’d try my luck. It just made things worse. I didn’t know she’d already told you about needing to take a break from each other.” Chad’s smile was sad. “Weird how I’m her boyfriend but you’re always the first one to know everything.”

“Weird how you think that’s some kind of honor,” I said with a snort. “So you snuck up here again to do what, exactly? Tell me to be patient? Tell me you’re”—I air-quoted—“‘working on it?’”