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Taking a deep breath, Jo shook her head. “We’re not—” She stopped.What are we? Involved? Definitely more than friends,she thought before exhaling. “It’s complicated.”

“Isn’t it always?” Carly said with a snort, but Jo didn’t answer. She was too busy replaying the look on Evelyn’s face. That perfectly neutral expression.I’m pretty sure she believed me,she thought.But it wasn’t enough to keep her there. It was a gut punch in a way Jo wasn’t used to.

A familiar voice cut through her thoughts. “Well,” Mica said, stepping up beside her with a smug look. “That was painful to watch.”

Clenching her jaw, she turned to her friend. “Yeah?” she said with a hiss.

“I mean,” Mica continued, clearly enjoying herself. “That was textbook bad timing. I could practically hear the sad trombone sound effect.”

Jo gave her a glare. “That’s not helping.”

Mica snorted, taking a sip of her drink. “Oh, come on,” she said. “It’s a little funny.”

“It’s not funny,” Jo snapped.

“Jo, chill out,” Mica said. “Just text her in the morning, explain again, and—”

Narrowing her eyes, Jo glared at Mica. “I don’t need you telling me what to do,” Jo growled, and Mica blinked, clearly surprised by Jo’s tone. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, Jo tried to steady herself, but the frustration was boiling over. The teasing, the way the night had gone completely sideways, the way Evelyn had walked away like Jo wasn’t worth the effort, hit her all at once. “You know what?” Jo’s voice waslow and tight. “If you can’t drop it, maybe you should find another job.”

For a beat, Mica didn’t say a word. “Whoa,” she said softly, and even Carly looked taken aback. Jo immediately regretted being so harsh. The words had come out too fast. Mica was her friend, and she loved working together, but she could be as annoying as hell, and Jo didn’t want to hear it. Mica studied her for a beat, then shook her head. “You’re pissed because you actually care about this one,” she said. “And that’s freaking you out.”

Jo didn’t answer because Mica wasn’t wrong, and after a long pause, Jo exhaled. “I’m sorry,” she said, meeting Mica’s eyes. “That was shitty of me.”

Sipping her drink, Mica nodded. “Yeah, it was,” she said, and Jo let out a short laugh.

“You gonna make me grovel?”

“Nah. I’ll let it slide this time,” Mica replied with a grin. “But only because I know you’re in emotional distress.”

Jo snorted a laugh and felt the tension ease slightly. “Thanks,” she said, and Mica bumped her shoulder.

“You’re welcome.”

Shaking her head, Jo managed to smile as Jess called over from the bar. “Your phone’s got some charge now.”

“Thanks,” Jo said, taking her phone. Turning it on, she watched the screen flicker to life. One notification. A missed text from Evelyn. Jo’s chest tightened, but she hesitated for only a second before opening a new message. “I miss you,” Jo wrote. “I’m sorry about the misunderstanding. Can we talk?” She hovered her thumb over the send button, but before she could press it, her phone rang. It was local, but an unfamiliar number. Frowning, she answered. “Hello?”

“Is this Jo Fuller?” a deep, authoritative voice said.

Jo’s stomach dropped. “Yeah,” she answered.

“This is Officer Reynolds with the Portland Police Department.” Jo’s grip on the phone tightened. “We’re calling because your auto shop was broken into tonight.”

Fourteen

Evelyn hadn’t slept much. She had tossed and turned all night, staring at the ceiling, staring at her phone, willing it to light up with a message from Jo. But it never did, and that, more than anything, made her stomach sink. She had told herself she wasn’t going to overthink it. That she and Jo weren’t serious yet, that they were still figuring things out, but the truth was, she had wanted Jo to call. In a tiny part of her, she had expected it even. The fact that Jo hadn’t bothered to call her told Evelyn everything she needed to know. She had been right to put on the brakes last night.

Jo was still the player Jasmine painted her to be. Likely a woman who had spent years charming her way through casual flings, never staying in one place for too long. Evelyn had let herself believe, for a moment, that maybe she made it different. That maybe Jo wanted more with Evelyn, but lying in bed with a dull ache in her chest, Evelyn felt like a fool for thinking that. With a sigh, she rolled over and checked the time. 6:42 A.M.

She groaned. Even though it was Saturday, she had to go to work today. She had deadlines, research to finalize, and a board presentation to prepare for, but she had no energy for it. Dragging herself out of bed, she shuffled into the kitchen,making herself a cup of coffee. Standing by the window as she sipped it, she watched the early morning light filter through the trees outside. Her thoughts drifted once again to Jo.Did she still stay at the bar after I left?she wondered.Did she go home with someone else?Evelyn clenched her jaw, hating that she even cared. She needed to talk to someone.

Before she could second guess herself, she grabbed her phone and called her sister, Jasmine. The phone rang twice before her sister picked up, sounding groggy. “Evie?” Jasmine’s voice came over the speaker on Evelyn’s phone. “It’s barely seven. Are you dying?”

Evelyn let out a weak laugh. “No,” she said. “I just needed to talk.”

There was a pause, then the sound of rustling sheets as Jasmine sat up. “Okay,” she said, suddenly more alert. “What’s wrong?”

Pressing her fingers to her temple, Evelyn sighed. “It’s Jo.”