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Randy the asshole. “Yeah?”

“Nasty piece of shit. I have someone watching him.”

The weight on my shoulders lifts a little. “Thank you.”

“Anytime. I like her for you, Eddie.”

“Yeah, me too.”

I hang up feeling slightly less like my skin is itching but I don’t think the feeling will leave me until I’m home and she’s in my arms.

29.Laney

The leash slipsfrom my fingers, and Merlyn darts ahead a few steps, sniffing something invisible near the base of the fence. The morning air is cool, mist still clinging to the edges of the grass like the world hasn’t fully woken up yet. The house behind me is quiet—too quiet—and the space Eddie usually fills is still... empty.

I’ve fed the horses. Walked the property. Run Merlyn through a few basic commands. Still, the ache under my sternum won’t budge.

I miss him.

I’m trying not to wallow, but his message from last night lingers like fog in my chest, and there’s this gnawing feeling that he’s holding something back. That something—or someone—is making things harder on the other side of the world.

Merlyn sits beside me, tongue lolling, tail gently wagging as I bend to unclip her leash.

“That’s it,” I murmur, scratching behind her ears. “You and me against the world.”

That’s when I hear it.

Tires on gravel.

I straighten, shielding my eyes against the morning sun, just as a sleek black Audi pulls up the driveway. My heart stutters. It’s unfamiliar. Sleek. Too clean for these roads.

Then the driver’s side door opens and out bounces a flash of pink hair, combat boots, and a whole lot of Cherry.

“Cherry?”

She grins like the cat who’s about to steal the canary—and maybe burn down the whole coop for fun. “Surprise!” she calls, waving her oversized iced coffee in one hand and adjusting her sunglasses with the other. “Spa day, bitch. Get dressed.”

“You weren’t kidding about that?”

Cherry plants one hand on her hip. “Laney, I’ve been puking every morning for a month straight, and if I don’t get a scalp massage and someone to rub hot stones on my back, I’m going to punch someone in the face. Possibly a stranger. Possibly a nun. It’s getting dicey.”

I laugh, warmth blooming in my chest. “You dramatic little gremlin.”

“Excuse you, I’m glowing. Or I will be, once I get exfoliated back to life.”

The other doors open and two strangers step out. One is tall and elegant in a floral maxi dress, with dark hair flowing past her shoulders, streaked through with vivid blue, and a calm grace about her that immediately soothes the space around her. The other?

The other is a glitter bomb in human form.

Bleach-blond hair, silver rings on every finger, mirrored pink sunglasses, and a tank top that sparkles ‘ICONIC. NO NOTES.’ as he struts around the car like a runway is about to appear under his feet.

“Laney,” Cherry says, tossing an arm around my shoulder. “Meet my best friend since we were twelve, Lexi. She’s the calmto my chaos, not spiritual at all, and somehow still chooses to hang out with me.”

Lexi smiles as she walks over and offers her hand. “It’s true. I’m her permanent damage-control companion. It’s lovely to meet you.”

“And this,” Cherry continues, gesturing with her cup, “is Frankie. He works at my mom’s salon, gossips better than any small-town bartender, and will absolutely ask if he can fix your ends within the next ten minutes. Just say yes. It’s easier.”

Frankie strikes a pose. “The rumors are true. I do hair. I cause drama. And I serve looks. Now come here, sunshine.”