Page 41 of Sunkissed Colorado

“You’ll see.” I headed back into the kitchen, opening the freezer and taking out the pint of oat milk ice cream Zandra had bought at the grocery store.

“You’re stealing my dessert? I was saving that for later, when I’m all depressed and hiding out in my serial killer room.”

I barked a laugh. “It’s a taste test. Introduce me to the world of dairy-free dessert. We might want to carry it at Hearthstone. Besides, we’ll need a snack to share while we talk.” I searched around in the kitchen drawers until I found two spoons.

“We talked enough.”

“Nope. We didn’t.”

“Have I told you I hate you? I really do.”

“Not anymore. You like me now.”

“I can’t tell if we’re hanging out,” she muttered, “or if this is a hostage situation. What is even happening?”

“Just go with it.”

Zandra followed me outside onto the back deck. Probably because I linked my pinky around hers and tugged her through the doorway. But she let me. That was key.

I sat on the top of the picnic table, resting my feet on the bench, and pulled Zandra up to sit beside me. Tugging the lid off the ice cream, I handed Zandra a spoon, then dug mine in.

The salted caramel was rich and creamy, with just enough salt to balance the sweetness. “Not bad. Really good, actually. Ithought it was going to taste like oatmeal or something. I mean, I like oatmeal, but it’s not exactly indulgent.”

Zandra scooped some of the dessert onto her spoon and took a bite. I watched her pink tongue flick out to catch a drop that clung to the spoon, and heat pooled low in my stomach.

I dug my spoon in again. “Sounds like senior year was really rough for you after Jessa died.”

“Callum,” she whispered. “Please, can we not.”

This time, I didn’t push. Didn’t say a word. Just took another bite of ice cream and waited.

A good two minutes later, Zandra started talking.

“She was my best friend. I can’t describe how awful it was when she died. Then people started talking.” Zandra blinked, looking away.

“The rumors?”

“People said I’d gotten into a fight with Jessa over a guy, and she was trying to get away from me, and I pushed her into the creek. None of that was true.”

“Shit.” I’d heard some of that, contradictory stuff about Zandra and Jessa being careless or inviting guys to meet them at the creek, but I hadn’t put much stock in it either way. It was just a tragic accident. “And you thought I was behind the rumors. Because of what Tommy said.”

She nodded. “Maybe that was naive of me. The rumors could’ve come from anywhere.”

“Could’ve been Tommy himself. He was enough of an ass that I’d believe it. I was an idiot for ever being friends with him.”

Zandra had said she wanted to let it go because it was in the past. But the next time I saw Tommy, he was going to have some questions to answer. It made me furious to think that anyone would try to hurt her intentionally. Especially after what she’d already gone through.

Maybe I should’ve been more cynical by now about how much people sucked. But they always found new ways to disappoint me.

“The thing was, Jessa really had planned to meet a boy she liked at the creek that night. Someone from the Silver Ridge football team.”

“Huh. You didn’t know who?”

She shook her head. “Jessa wouldn’t tell me. At the creek, I was away from her for a few minutes, and I heard someone else’s voice.” Z’s gaze moved to the distance. “ThoughtI did. But the police said I was wrong. There was no evidence anyone else had been there. No football players suspiciously missing from the bonfire party. That anyone admitted, anyway.”

I did remember the police asking around about the party and who was there. “Doyouthink you were wrong?”

“I don’t know. But regardless of those stupid rumors, it really did feel like my fault. I’d brought the beer. I’d left Jessa alone by the creek.” Z stuck her spoon vigorously into the pint while I held it steady. “When people started talking about me, saying I pushed her or something, it just made it all worse.”