Page 39 of Let Me Keep You

Every once in a while, I throw in a few kicks, ducking and imagining Victoria’s sneer on the other side. It doesn’t take long before I’m exhausted, but I don’t stop until I’ve worked out for a full hour. I’m completely worn down, but I feel calmer, with a sense of clarity.

As I head home, the sun hangs lazily in the sky over the old buildings in the town square. The warm breeze brushes against my sweaty skin, cooling me down even quicker.

When I walk inside the house, Sassy sprints toward me, wagging her tail, so I quickly take her outside. We’ve been taking regular walks, and she can’t seem to get enough of me now. I pet her before grabbing some clothes, then jump in the shower. As the stream falls over my body, I think about my life and how it feels like I’m living in an alternate universe.

When my skin prunes, I get out and put on some joggers and a T-shirt, then place a frozen lasagna in the oven. It’ll take an hour, but Everleigh will be home by then, so it works out perfectly.

After grabbing a beer, I sit on the couch with Sassy, turn on the TV, and flip through the channels. Some survival show where the contestants run around naked catches my attention, and I’m oddly intrigued. Eventually, the timer goes off, and minutes later, Everleigh walks through the door, grinning as she smells the food. We load up our plates and settle in to eat in the living room.

“This is so good,” she says around a mouthful. “I only had time to eat a shitty protein bar for lunch, so I was starving. After I posted those pictures of Katie and Gemma, I sold out of those outfits in nearly three hours and had to order more before I left.”

The bracelets on her wrist jingle as she brushes the hair out of her eyes. She’s smiling, but she looks exhausted.

“That’s great. Just wait until you post the others. Bet you sell out every time.”

“I hope so! This summer’s gonna be insane. Sure you don’t need a second job on the weekends?” She waggles her brows. “Put your height to good use and help me out around the shop?”

I nearly choke on my food. “Yeah, right. From prison to chic.”

Her eyes widen as if I just gave her the best idea ever.

“No,” I say firmly before she can say another word about it.

“Come on, Tyler. You’d be the perfect eye candy.” She rolls up my sleeve and squeezes my sore biceps. “I could dress you up like I did when we were kids, and you’d be a nice attraction piece for all the single ladies.”

I roll my eyes. “You’re too much. You can’t use your psychology techniques on me to get what you want like you do your friends.”

“Fine.” With a scoff, she goes back to her food.

“While I appreciate you wanting to hire me, I think man candy is the last thing you need in your boutique. I tend to make ladies uncomfortable,” I remind her.

She lifts an eyebrow. “Speaking of that…”

“Don’t wanna talk about it.”

She doesn’t continue with whatever relationship advice she was going to give me, so I focus on the TV as we finish eating. Once she’s finished eating, I carry our plates into the kitchen, rinse them, and load the dishwasher.

When I’m done, I realize I left my phone in my gym shorts. There are three missed calls from a Las Vegas area code and my heart hammers when I see there’s a voice message.

“Hey, Tyler. It’s Eric. We used to work for Victoria O’Leary together. I need to talk to you as soon as possible.” He lingers, then lets out a breath. “It’s…important.”

The message ends, but I play it again. There’s an edginess in his voice, and the confident air he used to have is gone. Eric was an asshole, and I couldn’t stand him. I stuff my phone in my pocket and my head spins with reasons why he’d be calling me.

It doesn’t matter because my mind is already made up—I’m not calling him back.

Fuck that, and fuck him. I don’t want to be a part of whatever he’s gotten himself into. I bury the thoughts and go back to the living room.

“What’s wrong?” Everleigh asks, muting the TV.

I shake my head. “It’s nothing.”

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Nah. What were we talking about before?”

I can’t remember because all I can hear in my head right now is Eric’s alarming voice. Whatever he wants feels like a trap, and I don’t want anything to do with the family ever again.

“Gemma,” she responds. “We were talking about Gemma.”