Page 12 of The Crowned Garza

“Safer…” She slowly drags the word out, as if tasting it. Then, “Whatthe hellkind of trouble are you getting yourself into this time, T?”

“There’s no trouble, I promise.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Ugh, I wish you lived here. I wanna hug you and smooch you all over.”

“Don’t you dare try to calm me down with love and cuteness!”

I’m cracking up now. “I’m not!”

Soleil Stratton—“Sunny” to me—and I met online around five years ago, and I quickly became attached. We live on opposite sides of the country and rarely see each other in person, but she’s one of the most genuine things in my life. The connection I feel with her is soul-deep. Her dead-inside, don’t-care personality might deter most from getting close, but Isaw herand was determined to love her to pieces. Eventually, she softened up and allowed me into her hallow heart. Knowing I’m the only one who gets that soft side of her gives me all the special feels. Best of all, she doesn’t give a flying cockroach about my brothers. She’sgenuinelymy friend.

With a wide grin, I listen to her go on about how I’m reckless because I’m bored. Until she stops, expels a resigned sigh, and says, “I don’t even know why I’m wasting my breath. You’re just going to do whatever you wanna do regardless.”

“Valiant effort, my friend,” I return, grinning. She makes my heart happy.

“Well then, I’m going back to bed. I’ll be sure to check LA’s headlines later. Just in case the night ends with you laid up in a ditch somewhere.”

I snicker. “My God, you’re worse than Mom.”

“By the way, how’s your friend doing?” she asks. “The one from the party...”

“Dunno.” My shoulders lift in a shrug even though she can’t see me. “She’s been ghosting me. Ignoring my calls and texts. I dropped by her house a couple times to check up on her and kept getting told she’s ‘not home.’ So, whatever.”

“Ouch. Sorry, babe. She might be struggling mentally with what happened. Trying to cope. Cocooning.”

“Yeah, but she could at least shoot me a text to let me know she’s all right and needs some space,” I say. “I’m willing to do whatever I can to help her. But to shut me out like that? It just proves I’m right and she was never really my friend. Whatever. I’m over it. You’re the only true friend I have, and the only friend I need.”

“In that case, will you listen to me and give up on doing whatever it is you’re doing with this ‘X’ person and stay safe for me?” she asks in a cute, angelic voice. “Will you listen to yourone true friend, pretty please?”

That gets a guffaw out of me. “Oh, I love you, Sunny bunny. But I love playing with fire more.”

CHAPTER THREE

“Heard it’s a dick.”

Tillie

FRAUD:COME. NOW.

Glaring at my phone screen, I nimbly tap out a text sayingheshould be bringing the food tome.But then delete it instead of hitting send because the words read childish, petulant, entitled, and would only give him more ammo to label me a spoiled brat.

The aroma of whatever he’s cooking has been flirting with my appetite and making me hungry for real, so I swallow my irritation and head back to the kitchen. Soft music surrounds me when I push through the swinging doors. The source, a small radio on the back counter.

Guy is polishing a champagne flute with meticulous care, as though even a spec of blemish would be a grave sin. Without looking at me, he motions to where I’d been seated earlier.

I cross my arms. “What did I say about telling me what to do?”

Carefully, he puts down the spit-shine flute, then gives me his undivided attention. “Are you hungry or not,regalità? Because I have things to do.”

“Things to do at this hour?”

He lifts an impatient brow at me.

“Oh, right,” I say with a nod, “no rest for the wicked.”

Once I’m seated, he plates a gourmet-style dish for me. I know all the ingredients and techniques used to create this dish, and I’m impressed. Especially with the presentation. Perfectly medium steak on a bed of pickled asparagus, with roasted potatoes, honey-glazed carrots, and roasted tomatoes.