Chapter 16

Xander

My evening with Cami had gone better than I’d expected. By agreeing to extra cooking lessons, Cami had ensured we’d have even more time alone. Our date hadn’t felt fake to me, except that I hadn’t been able to kiss her goodnight at the end of the evening. Still, I’d enjoyed having her snuggled up against me as she slept through the movie. That had been the only good thing about the film.

“You missed your cue.” Harley interrupted my thoughts of Cami.

We were practicing in the new studio space in Austin’s house—or trying to, at least. My mind had been on Cami all morning. After she saw her last patient of the day, we were going shopping for kitchen supplies so I’d be able to make waffles once I learned how.

“Sorry,” I replied. “Let’s start again?”

A buzzing phone interrupted us.

“It’s mine,” Harley announced, frowning when she saw who was calling. “I need to take this. It’s my mom.”

She didn’t wait for a reply before heading out of the room.

“Is it just me, or has Harley been extra secretive lately?” Gage asked as he looked at the door Harley had exited through.

“It’s not you,” I replied. “Something is going on with Harley.”

“I tried asking her, but she blew me off,” Austin stated. “Piper told me to leave her alone until she’s ready to talk about it.”

Harley slammed back into the room, looking pissed. “Fucking bastard!”

“Who do we need to kill?” I asked.

She looked torn, like she wasn’t sure she wanted to tell us what was going on. While we’d all known Harley for years, there were pieces of her life she kept from us—pieces involving her sister. We didn’t know much about Harley’s sister, just what the press had dug up in the last couple of years. Harley’s younger sister had died in a car crash, seven years earlier. The driver of the car had been convicted of vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence.

“My sister’s killer is getting out of prison,” she explained. “I knew it was coming, but it didn’t feel real until I heard the actual release date.”

“While I can see why this is upsetting, he’s served his time,” Gage told her. “I’m not trying to sound like an asshole, but it was an accident.”

“He’ll stay away from you,” Austin added.

“He’s been sending me letters from prison,” Harley explained.

“Why would he send you letters from prison?” I asked. “Did you even know the guy?”

“I’m surprised this never got out,” she began in a tired voice. “Keith was my boyfriend in high school. He cheated on me with my sister. That’s why we broke up. He was also my sister’s dealer. I didn’t know he was dealing until I found out about the cheating. Keith is a dick.”

“That’s why you stopped talking to your sister,” I deduced.

“No,” she replied. “For that, I could have forgiven her. No more talk about what happened with my sister or with Keith. I need to cut practice short and figure out what’s going on with his release. I may need to get a restraining order.”

“What the fuck?” Austin asked. “Has this guy been threatening you from prison?”

“Not threatening me,” she replied. “He’s got this crazy idea that we’re going to get back together. It’s an obsession. Keith has always been like this. Even after we broke up, he’d occasionally track me down and start calling and sending me letters.”

“We should talk to Madi about getting more security for you,” Gage told her.

“I agree,” I added. “If I didn’t know you’d tell me to fuck off, I’d offer to let you stay with me.”

“I wouldn’t tell you to fuck off,” she assured me. “But you are right about me telling you no. I like living alone. It’s why I plan to stay single forever.”

“You’re determined to become a crazy cat lady,” Austin teased.

“No,” she said with a laugh. “No pets or plants. It’s hard enough taking care of you idiots without adding something else that demands my attention.”

“Hey!” Gage protested. “We’re not that bad.”

“We kind of are,” I admitted. “I’ll call Madi about the security when I get home. She likes me best, so she’ll be happy to hear from me.”

They all laughed at my claim.

“It’s true,” I argued. “Madi loves me. All women love me.”

“Poor Cami,” Austin said around his laughter.

“Yeah, she is going to be the one who has to try to deflate Xan’s big head,” Gage added.

“Fuckers,” I muttered. “You’re just jealous.”

“Sure,” Harley said, sarcasm dripping from her voice. “We’re all jealous of your swollen head.”

“Are you okay?” I asked her. “Do you want to grab lunch and talk more?”

Harley walked over and hugged me. “Thanks, Xan. I really will be fine, but it means a lot to know that all of you care.”