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I sighed and nodded. “Teagan’s going to hate me. Her school play is more important to her than anything, and if I bail now, there won’t be enough time for them to find a replacement for me.”

Zeke shrugged. “Missing the play seems the lesser of two evils.”

I knew he was right, but I hated it all the same.

I let out a long, painful breath as I considered the girl who had completely opened up to me only hours earlier. She didn’t deserve any of this, and I knew she was never going to forgive me. “I guess I should go tell Teagan,” I said.

Zeke placed a hand against my chest to stop me though. “Your plane home is in an hour. You don’t have time.”

“You want me to just leave without explaining or saying goodbye to Teagan?”

He slowly lowered his hand. “I know it sucks, but I don’t think you can risk missing the flight. I also think you should try to keep some distance from Teagan. She’s a sweet girl and doesn’t deserve those pictures being released. One wrong move and your mother could do it. I don’t trust that woman, and she’s clearly watching your every move.”

There was sympathy in Zeke’s eyes, and I think he could see I was breaking inside. I didn’t care about a lot in this world, and so much of my life was fake, but I’d started to develop real feelings for Teagan, and it was killing me to abandon her in this way.

“Look, I don’t need to be on the flight, so I’ll go see Teagan tomorrow and talk to her for you,” Zeke suggested.

It wasn’t the solution I wanted, but I was afraid it was the best I was going to get, so I nodded. “Thanks, Zeke.”

He gave me a solemn nod in return. “We better get you to the airport.”

His words made it official. My time at Lincoln High was over, and so were my chances with Teagan.

24

Teagan

It felt like my life was finally turning a corner when I woke to the smell of waffles cooking downstairs. I was never very good at pulling myself out of bed on a Monday morning, but the scent made my eyes whip open, and all vestiges of sleep disappeared as I jumped out of bed to investigate.

I could barely keep the smile from my face as I walked into the kitchen and found Carol hovering by the cooktop. “What is this?” I asked.

She grinned as she glanced over her shoulder toward me. “Ah, you’re up. I’m making waffles. My favorite granddaughter needs a good breakfast to start the week,” she replied.

My heart warmed, and I went over and gave her a hug. Mom and I rarely showed any emotion toward each other, but Carol wrapped me in her arms and held me close like we’d been hugging the same way for years. It had barely been a day since she’d entered my life, but I was already desperately hoping that she wouldn’t disappear again.

“You didn’t have to do this,” I said, pulling back from her.

She smiled and put the first couple of waffles on a plate. “Of course, I did. Waffles are the only way to start your week right.”

I laughed. “I won’t argue with you there.”

I was growing attached to Carol far too easily. Odds were that she’d be gone just as quickly as she arrived once Mom got home. Did that mean I shouldn’t let her into my heart though? I didn’t want to be so jaded that I distanced myself from her just in case she left me again. I’d taken a risk letting Liam in, so perhaps I needed to take a chance with my grandmother too. I had a feeling she’d worm her way into my affections permanently whether I wanted her to or not.

The doorbell rang just as I took the first bite of my waffle, and I glanced at my phone to check the time. It was far too early for visitors. Who called at this hour of the morning?

“Expecting anyone?” Carol asked.

I swallowed my food and shook my head. “Nope, but you keep cooking, and I’ll get the door.”

I zipped up my hoodie as I trailed out of the kitchen and tried to tame my hair a little before I pulled the front door open. I wasn’t sure who I expected to find there, but it certainly wasn’t Liam’s assistant.

“Zeke?” My voice was filled with surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“Hey, Teagan.” He gave me a tight smile. “Do you have a minute so I can talk to you?”

His face was grim, and although I had no idea why he was here, I did have a bad feeling about it. I glanced over my shoulder toward the kitchen before stepping onto the front porch to join him.

“Sure. What do you need to talk to me about?”