The rain comes down hard as Sophie ditches us for the shelter of her dormitory. I know she’s safe. I know she’ll be dry in a few minutes, but I also know she needs some space. Braden grunts as he limps away, and I follow him as far as the Underground. His apartment is only a few steps away, and I figure if he didn’t black out by now, I know he’ll make it back to his bed. I’m sure Becca is waiting to kiss it and make it all better.

The rain picks up, and I don’t hesitate jumping into the bar to get a brief reprieve from the storm. The air inside is sour, a mixture of perspiration and old sweat socks. Surprisingly, it’s pumping. A few girls whom I had deemed as regulars are already starting to circle.

I offer an awkward wave as I head straight for the bar and fall into a seat.

“Whoa. It must be really coming down out there.” A dark-haired dude with a wool coat scoots his hat over a seat. He leans in, getting a better look, and winces as if he were in pain for me.

Funny. I can’t feel shit. Numbness is never a good sign, but I’m not numb because Braden tried to beat the crap out of me. I’m numb because Pandora’s box was unleashed tonight, and I don’t know how to get the lid back on. The last thing I want to do is relive the past. I want nothing more than to focus on the here and now—to focus on having a future with Sophie.

“Two.” He scoots his empty glass toward the bartender. “You look like you need a beer. It’s on me.”

“Thanks,” I grunt it out without the proper enthusiasm.

“If you look this bad, I’d hate to see the other guy.” He gives a half-hearted chuckle as the bartender brings us both a beer. “I’m Lane,” he says, scooting an amber glass my way. “Let me guess. This involved a girl.” He takes a sip of his drink and gives a wistful shake of the head.

“Yes, it involved a girl,” I moan as I suck the foam off the top. “Her brother doesn’t exactly approve. Not that I want or need his approval.”

“Brother, huh?” He grimaces because we all know the brother’s approval makes things move a lot smoother. “So, what’s up with this dude? He catch you in the act? That’s a pretty nasty cut above your eye. You don’t earn that from just one kiss.”

“Nope. I was holding her. Hard to believe, I know—but there were other issues, too.”

“There always are, man.” He clicks his glass to mine as if toasting the fact. “Are things still good with her? Or is this the end of the line for the two of you?”

“It’s not the end of the line. I won’t let it be.” I swallow hard and hear the echo in my ears. “But we’ve got a lot of baggage to wade through.” Slowly I tell him about my history with Braden. How I ended up reconnecting with Sophie a few weeks back. I leave out the petty details such as the social experiment. Either he already knows and he’s playing it off, or he doesn’t and I really don’t give a shit. But the last thing I want to do is mention Dexter’s name or I might end up breaking every glass in this damn place.

“Dude.” He shakes his head in that pathetic way that lets me know I’m without hope. “I wish I could help you out, but I’m the last person on the planet who could give you solid advice.”

“That’s all right, man. It helped just getting it out.” I send a text to Sophie. Can I come up?

She texts right back. NO! And I flash the phone to my new beer buddy.

He grunts out a laugh. “That’s brutal. But trust me, I know all about brutal. I don’t have the best track record when it comes to the ladies.”

Becca bounces through my mind and then Sophie.

“That’s something we have in common because neither do I.”

Sophie was right. Braden and I are each harboring our own secrets. Each one more stubborn than the next in relinquishing them.

But Braden’s big secret is a bombshell, one he won’t give willingly, one he sold our friendship for a long time ago. I don’t know how he looks at himself in the mirror. I don’t know how he recognizes himself. The Braden I once knew wouldn’t have let this happen. Hell, the Rowen I once knew wouldn’t have let this drag out for so fucking long.

My knuckles land hard in front of Lane in an effort to get this attention. “So, what would you do if someone from your past wanted to start rattling the skeletons around in the closet?”

Lane blows out a heavy breath, staring hard at nothing in front of him. “I don’t think I’d mind at this point. I think about that every damn day, dude.” He gets up and lands a quick pat to my shoulder. “Every damn day.” He takes off, pressing that fedora over his head before diving into the swimming pool Moon Ridge is becoming.

Lane—this perfect stranger I just spilled my guts to—wouldn’t mind having the past dragged out in front of him. Why should I? I think it’s time I stopped covering for Braden. The last time I did that it cost me Sophie.

I’ll be damned if I let that happen again.

Watch out, Braden. The very thing that’s terrified you is about to come true.

* * *

Not shockingly, Dexter Houston is out of town for a few days. Mindy is hardly speaking to me, unless you count the steady stream of expletives she’s texting on a regular basis. But I know things will iron out between us. They always do. Sophie, however, doesn’t return my calls or my texts. She won’t open the door to her room for me. She’s closed me off, and that hurts more than anything else.

Wednesday night, it’s just Petra and I sitting in her office waiting for Seth to tell us if Sophie showed up.

“What do you think happened?” Petra looks frightened out of her mind as if I’ve lost her kid at the mall.

“She’s pissed at me.” I leave it at that. “Something happened, and she’s not happy with the way I acted.”

“My God, did you open up the ticket counter again?” She glances down to my crotch with a look of disgust, and I cringe.

“No. The ticket counter is closed. It’s just Sophie for me. Look, this involves her brother and some ancient history.”

“The brother found out!” Her eyes widen as she reaches over to steal a chip from an open bag lying on her desk.

“Yes, her brother found out. And do you want to know why? Because Dexter Soon-to-be-Dead Houston didn’t keep his word.” I drop my knuckles over the desk with a bang.

“What word?” Her thick worm-like brows twitch in tandem.

“I asked him not to air my segment, and he said he wouldn’t.”

“Really?” Her mouth falls open as she reaches for another chip.

“Yes, really.”

“Oh!” Her entire face smooths out with an epiphany. “That must be why you and Sophie were so brazenly open. I mean, that Sugar Puss stuff was priceless, but I wouldn’t want the whole world in on that sugared tidbit. The fact her dad gifted her the nickname was totally twisted.” She shakes it off as if it were ridiculous. “But that is one of Dexter’s maxims—say whatever you need to say to relax the exhibits.”

Exhibits. In the end that’s all we were to Dexter, something to be observed, to be bought and sold. We were nothing more than cheap commodities he could exploit to make a quick dime for himself. He didn’t care what it would cost Sophie and me.

“Shit. He lied. Dexter never intended on cutting those scenes. We fell right into his wicked hands—which I will break once I find him.”

“Not if you’re smart. He may have great ideas, but he’s got better lawyers.”

“Figures. So, what’s tonight?” I glance out at the empty hall, and my heart wrenches at the thought that maybe Sophie isn’t coming.

“An all cast mixer.” Petra gives a snooty nod as if it were totally acceptable to refer to Sophie and me as the cast. “Speed dating in the conference room. It’s designed to strengthen or destroy. Dexter says you need a little drama this close to the end. It’s good for—”

“Ratings,” I finish it for her. “And what about this Saturday? It’s homecoming.”

“We moved the event to Friday. Last week, Sophie let us know that wasn’t a good date for her. She’s taking her father out for his—”

“Birthday,” I say with a heavy heart. I know all of the Meyer’s special occasions about as well as I do the ones in my own family.

“We’re going to move it to Sunday if that’s okay with the two of you. We’ve moved up production times so it wouldn’t take up your night—it’s Halloween.”

“Sounds scary all right. And next week the show is over.” That’s funny because in a way it feels very much that—over.

“For the final show of the experiment, we have a little surprise in store for you. It’ll be fun, I promise.”

“Sounds good.” I say good night and head back to my dorm. Sophie didn’t show up tonight. It looks like we failed Dexter’s little experiment. But I don’t really give a shit about Dexter. The only thing I care about is Sophie and healing that beating heart of hers that I keep on breaking.

Sophie is taking her father out for his birthday Friday night. Maybe I’ll do a little party crashing. It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve landed in the same eating establishment. Duke Meyer always said I was like a second son to him. Let’s see if he’d be willing to welcome me with open arms. Maybe it’ll take his parental guidance to patch up what’s broken. I shake my head at the idea.

Sometimes there are just too many damn pieces.

I shoot a text to Mindy. What are you doing Friday night?

She texts right back. Are you that hard up for a date?

Yes. Are you in?

She waits a minute before answering. Let me guess. This will work out to be another teachable moment.

A laugh bounces through me. I sat Mindy down for hours and lectured her on how manhandling someone like she did Sophie was not fucking okay. I told her to chalk it up as a teachable moment.

Yes, this will be a stellar teachable moment.

She texts right back. I’m in.

Good. Let’s hope the lesson of the day is how to own up to what you’ve done on Braden’s part. Forgiveness on Sophie’s part. And please continue to keep your distance on Becca’s part. Sophie’s mom used to say all’s well that ends well, and if it’s not ending well, it isn’t the end.

I sure hope she’s right.