‘Yeah, and sometimes girls just mean no when they say no. Ever consider that?’ Holly shoved her clenched fists into the pocket of her jumper, slightly afraid she might actually punch Beau. Would her mom be able to get the charges dropped if she did?

Just as quickly as his temper had blown up, his shoulders sagged, and Beau, looking to Leigh Ann for support, which she gave by stepping in closer to him, lowered his voice to a whisper. ‘Look, I know none of you like me, but Jersey was – is – my girlfriend, and I’m worried about her, too. I guess I thought you, of all people, would get that.’ He turned to leave, but Leigh Ann stopped him by gripping his hand and closing the door behind him, her eyes pleading once more for Holly and Sophie to understand.

‘We’re all worried about her, and we do understand. We’re all scared, so our tempers are a little close to the surface. We know that just because you and Jersey were fighting doesn’t mean you two didn’t love each other.’

Holly’s mouth dropped open in stunned disbelief while Sophie exploded, planting herself in front of Leigh Ann this time. ‘Are you out of your freaking mind? You can speak for yourself, but I, for one, and I know, Holly, for two, don’t want this snake here. Furthermore, I don’t believe for one second he’s sorry about a damn thing.’ She jabbed a finger into Beau’s chest. ‘I don’t know what game you’re playing, and despite what our friend here says – You. Are. Not. Welcome. So, get out.’ And then she shoved herself between Leigh Ann and Beau and pushed open the screen door, her body vibrating in tightly controlled fury.

Holly half expected him to refuse to leave – and half expected Leigh Ann to leave with him so she could console his poor battered ego. So, she was mildly surprised to see him step back outside only to stop and turn around, his eyes searching the ground. When he spoke, he mumbled, and she barely caught his words.

‘I don’t know where she is. She’s never been gone this long. She probably doesn’t even care how much I’m worried about her.’ He wiped a finger beneath his eye as if removing evidence of tears, then walked to the street where he’d parked his four-wheel drive.

‘If only he hadn’t just made Jersey’s disappearance about him, he might’ve had a bright future in an acting career,’ Holly bit out.

The second his Jeep was out of sight, Sophie turned her wrath on Leigh Ann. ‘What in God’s name are you thinking? This isn’t your house, so you had no right to invite him in!’ Without waiting for a response, she whirled away and stormed into the kitchen where she jerked open a cupboard, yanked a cup out, filled it with water, and gulped it down without taking a breath. When the cup was drained, she slammed it down on the counter and rested her head in her hands.