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It didn’t surprise me that Ruth would put her own happiness in jeopardy for her friend. It wasn’t even life or death, necessarily, but she wouldn’t, for one second, put her friend in a precarious position for her own comfort. It was so very Ruth, it physically pained me to think about it.

As I pushed through the thick glass doors, muggy heat enveloped me in a rush that stole my breath. Had it been this hot before? Sucking in the humid air, I paused to open a tab in my browser with airline ticket offers. Maybe they hadn’t left yet, and I could head them off. How long would they be in Denver before leaving for Italy?

A cool breeze sifted through my hair, caressing my heated skin. My fingers stalled on my screen, and I closed my eyes in relief as the autumn-tinted wind swept over me. Taking Janice’s unsettlingly esoteric advice, I let my hand fall to my side, lifted my chin, and filled my lungs with air from the breeze. It cooled my panic, swirling around the charred dread inside, and then Ipushed it out with a slow exhale. I let my hands slide into my pockets as I stared ahead, unseeing.

“It’ll be fine,” I said to myself. It would. It had to be.

Cars slowed down on the two-lane street, passing by historic buildings and rows of bushy trees before coming to a stop at a red light. The wind shifted, tugging at my shoulders, and with a sigh of forced calm, I let my feet wander to the curb. If only what Janice had said held any granule of truth. Maybe if I stood here, the wind would drop Ruth into my arms, well and whole.

And then I could shake some fucking sense into her.

Or kiss her until she couldn’t breathe.

God help her—if I got my hands back on that little nerd, I wasn’t letting go again. I didn’t care how hypocritical that made me after she’d essentially been stolen by someone else. She was mine, and there was no chance in hell I would let her forget it.

In the right edge of my peripheral vision, the light at the intersection turned green, and traffic trundled forward. I watched it mindlessly, my thoughts suddenly sluggish and my senses caught up in the feel of the soothing breeze against my fevered skin.

Suddenly, one of the cars slowed down dramatically. A silver sedan that pinged in my memories swerved sharply to the right, its brake lights flashing as the passenger-side door flew open. Time slowed to a surreal blur of panicked realization when a woman’s profile came into view. Thick glasses, unruly, curly hair, and a determined set to her brow registered rapid-fire in my brain.

Ruth.

Then she jumped, and my heart stopped.

Chapter twenty-six

Ruth

Ruth

Faded asphalt loomed large in a spinning whirl before my body made impact. Pain erupted up my knees first, and then as I was propelled into a roll, my skin lit on fire. It happened so fast, I barely had time to fully register what I’d done. But then I came to a heavy stop in the middle of the street, and the sound of screeching tires and blaring horns filled my senses.

I jumped out of the car,I thought dimly with shock. Pain blossomed from my right knee to my ankle, and my elbows and arms burned.I jumped out of the car. Wait, shit, I jumped into the middle of the road.I’d lost my glasses in the jump, but I didn’t have time to worry about that. I forced myself up and swung a panic-stricken look around me.

I’d aimed for the side of the street, and thankfully, it seemed that my momentum had rolled me far enough that my body hadhit the tire of a parked car. That would explain why my shoulder and hip felt bruised. Several cars on the road had stopped behind Vaugn’s, and he had made a hard right turn before stopping only feet from me.

Run,my brain ordered.Get up. Run. Get to Kiss-Met.I struggled to my feet, ignoring the slicing pain in my knee, and staggered hard against the dark blue minivan I’d rolled into. Pounding feet sounded behind me, and my heart leaped into my throat. I lurched forward. Vaughn wouldn’t be crazy enough to shove me back into the car, would he? Not with witnesses. There were people here…

There was Cal. Cal was here. I turned around, intending to find him. But he was already there. Like my wishes had conjured him from thin air, he came into focus. And he was so close, I could see him clearly—dark copper hair windblown and disheveled, handsome features scowling in worry, and gray button-down wrinkled like he’d forgotten to iron it this morning. I took all of him in, and then his arms were around me. A burst of coconut and sunscreen filled my senses, and I melted into him without hesitation. “Cal.”

“Ruth, my God.” His arms tightened around me, pressing against cuts along my ribs and what I could only assume was road rash along my right side. I sucked in a pained breath, but my name slicing through the air distracted me from my physical wounds.

“Ruth!” Vaughn’s voice called for me, closer than I wanted. I stiffened, only adding to the pain radiating from half a dozenplaces along my right side.

Either Cal hadn’t heard him, or he was ignoring him, because he lowered me to the ground, forcing me to lie back down on the pavement. “On your back, sweetheart.” His voice was shaking. Why was his voice shaking?

“Cal, no.” I gripped his shirt, my eyes skating over the slightly blurry vision of his determined features. “Vaughn is—”

“I’m aware,” Cal snapped.

Oh. He’s angry. I did ditch him… twice. Christ, of course he’s mad at you, you idiot. And you just dramatically jumped out of a car to get to him.“I just need to talk to Janice,” I forced out fast, even as Cal made sure I lay on my back and braced my head firmly between his hands.

“You need to lie right here and not move,” Cal countered tightly.

“Ruth!” Vaughn panted, catching up with us finally and slamming his hand against the side of the blue minivan. I jumped, but Cal’s hands tightened around my head, keeping me still. Vaughn growled, “What the fuck were you thinking?”

Cal glared up at Vaughn from where he knelt beside me. “Take ten steps back. Now.”

“Ruthie,” Vaughn forged on. But I heard the indecision in his voice.