‘No, you definitely shouldn’t have,’ Sophie bit out, shoving her way in front of Holly. ‘So, why did you? Not getting enough sympathy posts from your adoring fan club on Instagram?’

A curtain closed over his expression, but he was saved from answering when Leigh Ann maneuvered in front of both Sophie and Holly, latching onto Beau’s arm so she could tug him inside. ‘If you’re worried about Jersey, then this is where you belong, with her friends.’ She turned her gaze on them, silently begging them to be understanding. ‘Right?’

A fine red haze passed over Holly’s eyes at Leigh Ann’s gall. She didn’t even know how to respond, and then Beau spoke, and the red haze turned into a dark storm.

Standing in the foyer, one hand cupping the back of his neck, he smiled down at Leigh Ann. ‘Thanks. I didn’t know where else to go. A couple of detectives came by the other day, busting my balls, accusing me of knowing where Jersey was, implying I’d done something to her even. Dude, that lady detective needed to get laid; she was a flat-out bitch. And I thought the man was going to punch me when I told them I didn’t know where Jersey was.’

‘Oh, you mean Holly’s mom? That bitch detective? Short, auburn hair, tough as nails attitude – or apparently what you would call “bitchy”? Partner is a tall, good-looking guy? That’s who needs to get laid?’ Sophie jabbed her pointer finger toward a family picture on the opposite wall.

Beau followed her finger, his jaw falling open as if someone had dropped a heavy weight inside it. A vein near his temple pulsed in rhythm with his breathing, and for the first time Holly could remember, Jersey’s jerk of a boyfriend was rendered speechless, if only temporarily.

When he swung back in her direction, she crossed her arms, her own expression chiseled from stone in a quiet challenge to say something else about her mom. ‘Wyatt. I didn’t make the conn…’ Whether out of self-preservation or because he actually did have a few intelligent brain cells, he snapped his mouth shut with an audible clack.

‘Speaking of getting laid, maybe if you hadn’t gotten so angry when Jersey declined your suggestion, if you’d respected her wishes, then none of us would even be standing here right now because Jersey wouldn’t have gone off on her own. You ever stop to think this is your fault to begin with?’ Twin red spots bloomed, staining Sophie’s cheeks as she shouted at Beau, standing nearly toe to toe with him.

Rage flushed Beau’s face, and he spoke through gritted teeth as if he’d already forgotten he was playing Charades: Concerned Boyfriend Edition. ‘I wasn’t going to force her to do something she didn’t want to do. Sometimes girls just need to be convinced of what they want.’

Leigh Ann waved her hand between all of them, trying to stop the speeding train wreck in front of her. Neither Holly nor Sophie paid the least bit attention.