Chapter Eight

Cohen

I never truly believed I’d get a chance to have Vienna in my arms again. But I always swore that, if I did, two things would happen.

The first was that I’d never let her go, and I think it goes without saying that that’s one promise I intended to keep. I lost her once, and it’d never happen again.

The second thing was that I’d move on from the fiasco that our prom night had turned into, and I’d stop rehashing the past like I could somehow change it.

But now, listening to Vienna, and speaking about the events that tore us apart, I couldn’t help but wonder if we could change it.

Because she was right, something didn’t add up. It never really had. But I’d been so pissed and disgusted with myself that I’d taken it all at face value for what I thought was the truth—I’d fucked up, and lost everything that mattered to me because of it.

“Vi, wait.”

She looked up as she pulled her jeans on, one eyebrow cocked in askance.

“Garrett called you earlier, right?”

“Yeah. So?”

“And I think we’ve established he’s less than thrilled you were in my company.”

“That’s a polite way of putting it,” she agreed, nodding.

“So, I’m going to wager a guess that calling him back and hurling questions and accusations might not be the best way to handle this.” I pulled a t-shirt over my head, watching Vi’s eyes follow the hem of it as it covered my abs. Goddamn, she could be so cute.

Her stance changed, one hip jutting out in defiance. “You can’t possibly be suggesting I let this go.”

“No. God, not at all.” I came around the end of the bed, pulling her closer to me by the waist. “I’m just saying, if Garrett was lying, he’s already going to be on the defensive just by knowing we’re together again.”

“Is that what we are, together again?” she breathed. There was a faint grin on her face as she asked, but I could see the seriousness in her eyes.

“I lost you once, Vi. I can’t go through that again. I won’t.”

Her throat moved, but no sound came out. Her hands, however, snaked around my waist, a silent staking of her own claim on me. “If you don’t want me to ask Garrett about it,” she asked, clearing her throat. “What do you want me to do?”

I leaned forward, kissing her forehead. “I think I have a better idea,” I advised. “But it might involve another drive back to Prendiville.”

“Just don’t forget your booster cables.”

***

I don’t think I actually expected Vienna to go for my idea. Mostly because I wasn’t sure I wanted to execute my own plan, either. It wasn’t fair to go digging the past up for other people, especially if they’d just as soon leave it buried.

Ten years was a long time, and we’d all grown up and gone in different directions in life.

Jenny Arnett was no different.

I’d seen her only a handful of times throughout the years. Every time she’d had a couple of kids in tow, and every time she’d made eye contact with me and quickly looked away.

And I’d let her pretend we didn’t recognize each other.

That’s why I felt bad seeking her out now, knowing damn well she wanted nothing to do with me.

But Vienna had brought up some valid points, and if my gut instincts were correct, Garrett wasn’t the only one keeping secrets about that fateful prom night. Jenny knew more than she’d admitted to, I knew that now. Hell, maybe I’d always known it. She’d been so nervous when I confronted her about it back in high school, so vague. She was adamant nothing serious had happened between us, but beyond that, she’d just wanted to get the hell out of Dodge and avoid ever seeing me again.

Which went against every character trait the students at Garrison High knew about the wild and free Jenny Arnett.

Knowing damn well the odds were good that she wouldn’t talk to me if she had the option, Vienna took the reins. She’d sat on my lap, logging in to her social media page and looking up Jenny’s profile.

“Social media,” she’d laughed. “I hate computers, but this is kind of neat how you can find just about anyone on here.”

“Jesus, Vi, when was the last time you even updated your profile? That picture is a little outdated, I’d say.”

“Shut up. That picture was only taken a few weeks ago.”

“I love you,” I chuckled. “But I totally call bullshit on that.”

“I said shut up, or I won’t add you as a friend.”

“That’s cool. I don’t want to be your friend, anyway.”

Her fingers had been tapping the keyboard in an easy rhythm, but suddenly stopped. “Holy moly, Co. She accepted my friend request already.”

It was the first time she’d called me Co in nearly a decade, and the sound of it brought me back to the days where she’d meet me at my locker at the end of the school day, using the locker door to hide our faces as we kissed so innocently before heading home. “That’s a good sign, I think.”

And it was. In a matter of minutes, she was private messaging back and forth with Jenny, and though Vi didn’t divulge too much in the way of details, Jenny surprised us both by inquiring if Vi was back in the area, and if she wanted, she could stop by to talk in person.

Fifteen minutes on the computer, and boom, Vienna was meeting with Jenny in an hour and a half, after Jenny’s kids were in bed for the night.

With the set of booster cables tossed in the backseat, we’d set off for Prendiville again. We had time, so I’d had a quick shower at my place and changed clothes while Vi let Bailey in and fed him, and we’d stopped by her apartment so she could quickly shower, too. She didn’t say anything, and neither did I, but there was no way I wasn’t taking a raincheck so we could shower together next time.

Thankfully, Vienna’s BMW started after the second turn of the key in the ignition, so we took her car to Jenny’s house instead. Now, sitting in the driveway at the address she’d given her, Vienna looked anxious. Hell, so was I.

“I think it’s better if I talk to her alone. Woman to woman,” she said, her gaze focused on the closed front door. “If she’s as cagey around you as you said she is, we might not get far if you come in with me.”

At Vienna’s suggestion, she’d left out the fact that I was there with her while they’d chatted on the computer earlier.

“You want me to sit in the car and wait for you.” I stared at her. She was right, of course, but I didn’t like sending her in there alone and not knowing what was going on.

“It won’t take long,” she promised. “The moment I mention that night, she might kick me out, too.”

“Just be careful, Vi.” I leaned across the front seat and kissed her. “For God sake, do that for me, all right?”

Her finger touched my bottom lip gently, replacing where her own lips had just been. “I will. Besides, the truth can’t be any worse than what we’d already believed all these years, right?”

With that, she climbed out of the car and slammed the door, and all I could do was hope to God she wasn’t wrong.