Not even close to being cool.

"Absolutely," I lied. "Besides, he's away on business for at least another two weeks." That part was true. Dad didn’t want to be in Ocean Bay and expressed his displeasure by taking as many out of town business trips as he could. Stepping outside, I gestured to the keg at the back door. "Here, help me with this, will you?"

"I can try," Mercy offered, taking hold of one side of the heavy barrel. "But I warn you now, the strongest muscle in my body is my tongue."

A laugh escaped me. "I'm so freaking happy you moved here." Trying and failing to drag the keg over the lip of the back door, I blew out a heavy breath. "I've missed this."

"Missed what?" Mercy grunted, puffing out a breath. "Aiding and abetting minors in the consumption of alcohol? Yeah, I'd miss that, too."

"Having a friend," I corrected her. "One that doesn’t look at me with pity and discomfort."

Her face fell. "Molls."

"I'm okay, I promise," I was quick to assure her, smacking on my brightest smile. "And I don’t want pity. Just answers."

She arched a wary brow. "Answers?"

"That's right." Steering the conversation to safer waters, I leaned against the doorway and grinned. "So, fess up. Are you with him now?"

"Who – Rourke?"

"No, Axl freaking Rose." I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Rourke!"

Mercy didn’t need to admit to me what was as obvious as the nose on her face.

She was hot for Rourke Owens.

And Rourke?

Lord, he looked like he was about to burst into flames whenever she was close by.

"Um, no," she mumbled. "We're just friends."

Liar. I arched a brow of my own. "Just friends?"

Her cheeks flamed. "With benefits."

"I knew he liked you!" I practically squealed, clapping my hands with excitement. "Rourke has never chased a girl. Never. Not even Britt. You are his only exception, Mercy."

"I'm not his exception, Molls," she replied, sounding a little dejected "He just wants to have sex with me."

My brows furrowed. "Is that what you think?"

"It's what I know," she confirmed grimly. "He told me."

He told her that? "What a douche," I muttered. "Ugh."

"Yeah," Mercy mumbled, biting down on her bottom lip. "And guess what even bigger douche agreed?"

My eyes bulged. "You didn’t!"

She nodded in shame. "I did. I freaking did!" Throwing her hands up in the air, she released a pained sigh. "And I have no idea what I'm doing because, in case you haven't already noticed, I'm not the most experienced girl around here." That made two of us. "Help me, Molly," she begged, latching onto the sleeve of my cardigan. "Tell me what to do?"

What the heck could I tell her? I was the last person she should be asking for boy advice. How in god's name would I know how to handle a situation like Mercy's?

I opened my mouth to tell her as much, but the words died on the tip of my tongue when the sound of a truck door slamming filled my ears. Moments later, a dark figure stepped out of the shadows and directly into my view.