“It was,” I said. The real truth was that my time with Dean was some of the calmest I’d felt, even amid all the chaos and stress of trying to figure out my feelings. He’d felt like a rock I could hold on to. Knowing he was there for me made everything easier. Ever since he left for the city, my constant anxiety had crept back in. Little by little, I thought it was getting worse, too.

“What are you going to do?” Lizzie asked.

“I’m not going,” I said.

“Really?” Steph looked almost offended. “I’m dying of curiosity, dude. Maybe he put together a Powerpoint presentation explaining all the ways he fucked up, or something.”

“He really might want to apologize,” Lizzie said. “Something big and romantic.”

I shook my head. “Apologize for what? Not liking me?”

“You won’t know if you don’t go,” Steph warned.

“Then I guess I won’t know.”

43

PEARL

True to my word, I was in my apartment with my laptop open about thirty minutes before I was supposed to go to whatever Dean was planning. I was stubborn, so I’d even put on pajamas. If some weak part of me got tempted to rush out there at the last minute, I’d be doing it in my pajamas. In other words, not at all. The whole town wasn’t about to see me in my pink unicorn PJ’s.

It was more like I was pretending to work than actually working. I had a design file open and I was absently switching the background colors while my mind was on Dean and whatever he was planning.

I jumped and actually screamed a little when someone knocked on my door. It wasn’t a polite, “here’s your package” kind of knock, either. It was a frantic knock. They only paused a split second before launching into another series of rapid taps.

I thought about my ridiculous PJ’s, regretted the decision, and then went to the door. I opened it a sliver, sticking one eye in the crack.

“Miss Moreno!” Billy said. “We need a ride!”

“Sorry,” Greyson Ashford said. He was towering behind Molly and Billy with a hand on each of their shoulders. The man was just as distractingly handsome as his brother, Zack. He was in his mid to late thirties, but appeared to age the same way wine did. “My truck wouldn’t start and we don’t have time to make it there on foot. Any chance you’d give us a lift?”

“Um,” I said. “Sorry. I’m not really dressed to go out.”

“That’s fine,” Molly said. “You can borrow Mommy’s big jacket.”

Suspiciously, Greyson held out the jacket for me to take.

“Where is it you need me to take you?” I asked.

“I can give you directions on the way,” Greyson said.

“It wouldn’t happen to be a certain barn, would it?”

Greyson rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, it’s possible.”

“Please!” Molly said. She came forward and hugged my leg. “That man really wants you to come. We’re all waiting to see what happens! Please, please, please!”