Patience snapped, my fingers curled into my palms.
“You’re lucky Idogive a damn. If I ever catch you accepting open drinks from a guy you don’t know like you did tonight, I’ll make good on the promise I made last semester and redden your stupid ass. Now,go inside.”
With a huff, she swiveled on the ball of her foot, took a step inside, and slammed the door behind her. I stayed until I heard the lock click, then I took the too-short walk home.
There was a ruckus next door. Two guys were ripping out the rotted boards of the deck, tossing them into the yard. It was barely eight, too early for the kind of noise they were making in a college neighborhood, but it wasn’t my problem. I was always up with the sun.
Leaning against the counter, I chugged coffee and watched their sloppy work through the window, wondering if the ice queen was supervising or if she’d shelled out her father’s money and left them to their work. She wasn’t on her porch reading her newspaper like she did every morning. Hadn’t seen her out there since the party a couple days ago.
I shrugged. Not my business.
Theo came strolling in, Helen trailing behind him.
“All ready?” I asked.
Helen headed straight for the coffee pot. “I will be when I’ve consumed a gallon of this.” She grabbed an oversized mug from a cabinet. “When I agreed to go camping, I didn’t realize that meant I’d be waking up at the crack of dawn.”
Theo chuckled and kissed the side of her head. “It’s eight, baby.”
“Too early,” she grumbled.
“You’re going to love it.”
She leaned her head against his. “Luc will love it. She’s practically frothing to get into the wilderness.”
I set my mug down. “You have to come to Wyoming with me, see some real wilderness.”
Helen’s head popped up. “Dude, I can barely handle glamping with my boyfriend and little sister. Do you think I’d survive being surrounded by trees and bison or whatever the hell’s in Wyoming?”
“I think you’re gonna come visit,” I said.
“Maybe.” She threw back more coffee. “But only if you teach Theo to chop wood and I get to watch.”
“That could be arranged.”
Helen shot me a wry look. “Let me survive this camping trip, then we’ll discuss future travel plans to Wyoming.”
I grinned at her. “Yeah, you’ll visit.”
When I’d arrived at Savage U two years ago, I’d had no intention of making connections beyond surface level. I had four years of college, then I’d be moving to Wyoming to help my dad run our family ranch. That would be my focus for the foreseeable future. I didn’t see room for friendships or relationships—not when I’d be gone in a few years and never look back.
I made it a year, then Helen happened. With her came Theo. A year of friendship, and now Theo and I shared a house with another guy, Julien, while Helen lived next door, and I’d resolved myself to the fact that I wasn’t leaving California clear of connections. It was too late for that.
After Theo and Helen left for their trip, I got back to watching the guys destroy the deck. When I’d killed enough time, I knocked on Julien’s door. He took a full minute to open it, and he did so without a word. I stepped aside, giving him space for his chair. He wheeled toward the front door, pausing for me to open it, then rolled down the ramp in front of our house.
I grabbed his crutches and headed out to meet him at my truck. By the time I got there, he was no longer alone.
“Elsa.” I tipped my chin at her and laid Julien’s crutches across his armrests.
The two of them couldn’t have looked more different. She was tall, lithe, the picture of health. Julien had been broken, scarred, and couldn’t get it up to smile more than once or twice a week—and those were always fleeting and pained. And yet, I caught El shooting the shit with him on a regular basis.
Instead of returning my shitty greeting, El picked up the crutches and pretended to examine them. “Come on, Phantom. Hasn’t it been like four months since you were hit by a car? I think you’ve milked the injury enough. Hop up.”
Julien stared up at her, the good side of his mouth twitching. “Fuck you.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’d have to catch me first, and that’s not going to happen while you’re faking it in that chair. Get off your lazy ass, then I’ll consider it.”
“You’re not my type,” he grumbled.