Page 57 of Scout

We hang up, and I set the phone down, suddenly too heavy to hold.

“Sorry,” I say, turning to Bradley. “That was my sister. Weekend’s canceled.”

He just shrugs, raising a hand to get the server’s attention. “Can I get a water?”

I raise a brow. “Not much of a drinker?”

He gives me a tired half-smile. “Not lately. Damn, I miss my nana.”

I reach across the table and give his arm a squeeze. “It’s gonna be okay, man. We’re gonna save that house so you always have a piece of her. Plus, you’re gonna be working with me now. Back in town. We can actually be friends again.”

His lips twitch, just a bit. “I’d like that. It’s been a long time since I had someone to just… be real with.”

The server returns with a bottle of water, and he opens it, taking a drink. “So, what have you been up to?”

For the next hour, I tell him about Foxy’s. The early gigs, the weird ones, the rich lonely clients who just wanted someone to laugh at their jokes and pretend to like caviar. I tell him how it helped me stack cash fast; enough for a Tesla, enough for a niceapartment that didn’t smell like sadness and mold, enough to make sure Juniper never went without. I tell him about building a safety net out of pretending to be exactly what someone else needed.

Then I tell him aboutthem.

Xavier. Kendrix. The two sexy, alpha, emotionally constipated men who hired me for one date and then knocked my entire emotional axis out of alignment.

“They both hired me to make the other jealous,” I say, swirling the beer in my glass. “And somehow, we ended up in a hot tub. Shit escalated.”

Bradley’s eyes widen. “Two men. At the same time?”

“Oh, don’t be such a blushing virgin, Bradley.” I snort. “Yes. At the same time. And then some.”

“And you caught feelings?”

I pause. Shrug. “Yeah. Which never happens. But I did. And then they realized they loved each other, and I… let them go.”

Bradley leans back, studying me like he’s dissecting the layers of an onion. “Finally got to be the leaver and not the one left, huh?”

His words punch straight through the calm I’ve been clinging to all night.

“The fuck?” I snap before I can stop myself.

He raises both hands, palms out. “Sorry, friend, but you know I always tell you straight and not seeing you in years isn't gonna change that. Your dad was in and out and then he died. You just said your mom moved to Florida. And don't get me started on all the shitty dudes you hooked up with in school. They'd have their fun and leave ‘cause they were always walking neon red flags. So you left this time so you couldn't be left.”

“That’s not?—”

My phone rings again.

Seattle PDflashes across the screen.

Everything inside me goes cold.

I answer with a dry throat. “Hello?”

“Is this Scout Hastings?”

“It is.”

“You’re listed as the emergency contact in Juniper Hastings’ phone. She’s been in an accident. We’re en route to Evanridge Medical.”

The world stops. For a second, I forget how to breathe.

“I’ll meet you there,” I manage, already rising, grabbing for my bag with trembling fingers.