Page 51 of Law Maker
The timing was shit. All of it was.
And still, I wanted her.
Ale drained the rest of his coffee. “You can’t choose who you like, but there’s a lot at stake. Your career. The fact you live under the same roof. Your parents dating. If it goes wrong, it could blow up fast.”
“I know.” I spun my cup on the saucer. “What would you do?”
His expression turned thoughtful. “I’d look hard at the offer first. Don’t start anything with Kaia if you’re going back to Spain. You’d only hurt her.”
Her voice echoed in my head, sharp as the night she told me she couldn’t do this anymore. And she was right—I’d already hurt her.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Kaia
Saturday came too fast. Dad left with Sharon, and Mandy and I were getting ready for Kyle’s party in my room. The thought of telling her about my run-in with Dean knotted my stomach, but keeping quiet would make me the worst friend.
I smoothed the skirt of my short black dress and drew in a breath for courage. “Mandy.”
She swiped mascara over her lashes. “Huh?”
“Did you talk to Dean?”
“Yeah. He texted yesterday. I think we’re really getting somewhere this time. I told him I’ll look for him as soon as we get to Kyle’s.”
My gut sank. After what happened, I knew exactly where this was headed.
“He can look for you too,” I said.
Mandy tossed the mascara into my bag. “It’s no big deal. Guys like having their ego stroked. Well, their ego—and something else.”
She giggled, but my lips stayed flat.
“Know your worth, Mandy. Just because he texts it doesn’t mean he’ll treat you better than the others.”
Mandy rolled her eyes. “You’re such a mood killer. Just be happy for me. I want to date Dean. Try being supportive if our friendship means something to you.”
Telling her about the locker incident was pointless. All I could do was hope Dean wouldn’t hurt her.
“You know it means everything to me,” I said softly. “That’s why I don’t want to see you get hurt. Just… be careful.”
She huffed. “Yes, Mom. You know, you were actually less judgmental when you were busy working. Maybe that job was good for something.”
***
Her jab still stung as I stood in the middle of Kyle’s crowded living room. The air reeked of cologne, sweat, and smoke, thick enough to choke on. At least the music was decent. I swayed to a pop song, sipping water while I waited for Mandy to resurface.
She’d ditched me to hunt down Dean, and though I wished she hadn’t, I bit my tongue. Staying home would’ve been the smarter choice.
“Having fun?” Kyle appeared at my side.
I wasn’t, but none of it was Kyle’s fault. “Yeah. You?”
He scanned the room and sighed. “Cleaning’s gonna suck.”
“I’d say I’ll help, but…”
Kyle burst out laughing. “Yeah, no. I’ll rope the guys in and pray my parents don’t figure it out.”
