Girl talk? With Lara? I’d prefer Chinese water torture. I glance behind me to find Josh glowering at her, probably trying to figure out the most gentlemanly way to get her to let me go. I attempt to free myself but she gives me a yank so hard I stumble toward her, close enough that she can drawl in my ear, “Why didn’t you tell me Zander was so good in bed?”
Holy shit.
I jerk back, reeling, and Lara abruptly releases me, sending me crashing into Josh. Luckily, he catches me and keeps me on my feet.
Lara smiles sweetly and wiggles her fingers in a dainty wave. “Good seeing you. By-yee.”
As she brushes past, I hold myself up by Josh’s sleeves. No, not up. Back. I want to tackle Lara and shove her face in the dirt. Not because she slept with Zander, but because she did it just to spite me.
“What a bitch,” Josh mutters, watching her disappear into the house.
“Tell me about it.” Thankfully, he says no more. “Where did Liv and Liam go?”
He leads me out onto the patchy lawn, weaving between clusters of people drinking, smoking, and horsing around. But it’s not until we round the house that we find them. They’re sitting on a fallen tree at the edge of the woods that line the yard. Liam is wearing more of Liv’s lipstick than she is, but it doesn’t look like they’ve done more than kiss. I hop up on the tree trunk and whisper to Liv about Lara.
“Shewhat?” she gasps. “AndI’mthe slut?!”
Liam and Josh’s eyes go big.
Liv rants, “You know she did that just to piss you off, right? Shit, poor Zander. She totally took advantage of him. He’s been?—”
I cut her off, “I really think we need to go home. I don’t want to run into her again. Or Peyton.” I haven’t actually seen Peyton, but I’m hoping the mere mention of her will get Liv moving.
“Oh god!” She hops down from the tree trunk so fast it takes both Liam and Josh to keep her from face-planting on the grass. “Thanks, guys.” She hooks an arm through mine. “Yeah, we seriously need to get out of here.”
I thank Josh for keeping me company tonight, trying to ignore his disappointed frown. Liv snatches one last kiss from Liam.
“I’ll call you,” he says, giving her a squeeze.
“You gave Liam your number?” I ask her as we walk away.
“Yeah. So?”
“What about Braden?”
She shrugs. “What about him?”
“What happened?”
“Nothing,” she huffs. “That’s the problem.”
So no fight, but no progress either. Braden’s holding Liv in relationship limbo and she’s sick of it. If making him jealous doesn’t incite him to action, at least she’s giving herself other options.
When I realize she’s steering me in the direction of the back stoop, I point to the side yard. “Why don’t we just go around front?” There are KPTs inside the house, and possibly Zander,and definitely Braden. I don’t care how indifferent Liv is pretending to be, she’d be destroyed if she saw him sucking face with that blond.
But alas, Liv tugs me toward the door. “It’s too dark and muddy over there.”
Unfortunately, inside this quirky rancher, the distance between the back and front doors is long. And crowded. We’re funneled from the family room to the dining room and into the bright kitchen where it’s nearly impossible to hide. Instinctively, I avoid looking at the space in front of the sink, convinced that if I do, I’ll find Leo leaning against the counter, looking for me.
I picture him at O-Chi on the night I first saw him, standing there alone in the dim light, looking so out of place, like a god among mortals. The image, the memories, theirony, all have my heart squeezing so tight I can hardly draw a breath. I’d love to stop right here and have a good cry, but Liv is obliviously, relentlessly, pulling me through the crowd.
And unknowingly smack into Zander. Thanks to his summery scent, I know it’s him before I even see his face. It has my head spinning even more than the collision.
“Betts,” he breathes, steadying me. “Hey.”
“Hey.”
“It’s good to see you.”
