Page 48 of Wherever You Are

I bite down on my teeth.

“I’ll be fine,” Willow says softly and turns more to me. “That’s my room.” She motions to a door past the kitchen. Her phone suddenly rings, and I can’t see who calls but concern cinches her brows. “I have to take this—” She leaves quickly for her room.

Not even glancing at me.

Something is wrong.

I’m about to follow when Salvatore says, “She’s been acting strange ever since December.”

My jaw tics, hating how he’s acting like they’re BFFs and I’m no one. “Yeah?”

Bottles clink as more fill the bag. “Her whole mood changes when she gets these phone calls.” His eyes hit mine. “I thought it was you that was calling.”

Not me.

I’m officially freaking the fuck out.

11PRESENT DAY – August

London, England

WILLOW HALE

Age 21

Istare at my bedroom wall and listen, hand to my towel on my chest and phone to my ear. “All I’m saying is that the further you get into school, the more important internships are, Willow,” my dad tells me.

Normally, I wouldn’t have picked up his call after epic sex (definitely one of the best) and while Garrison just got here. But I missed the last two times my dad has called.

And I made a promise not to miss the third. I thought I could swiftly tell him that I’d call back later, but I’ve been standing here for a solid two minutes and have yet to find a space to speak up.

Garrison is leaning on the shut door in only a towel, arms crossed. He knows who called since I mouthed,my dad.

My boyfriend looks supremely sexy, and as I turn towards him, I have trouble not staring at his whole being. Not just his abs and lean muscles, the towel riding low, but the ink that represents him too well and the wet strands of hair that brush his ears. The corner of his lip that wants to lift in a slight smile.

His aquamarine eyes that hold our youth and early days spent together. The friendship that became an emotional lifeline and physical bond.

My heart swells.

I look away as my dad continues, “And you don’t want to be in shitty fucking low-level jobs or with the Wall Street assholes who’d see you as pus—” He stops himself before saying something crude. Something I think he’d say in front of Ryke and Lo. But not me. He clears his throat. “I’m just saying, there are plenty of CEOs or even low levels who don’t appreciate women.”

I think about my mom.

She was sixteen when she slept with Jonathan. He wasmucholder.

Was he one of those people?

If I asked Ryke, he’d tell me unequivocallyyes.Lo would probably hesitate before also agreeing. But maybe our dad has changed.

He obviously sees the horrible side of some people in corporate power positions. My hand sweats on my cell. I open my mouth to reply, but he cuts me off again.

“So there’s Harold Johnson and Patrick Nubell, both friends of the family. I’m going to give them a call. They’ll have internships waiting for you next summer—”

“Dad,” I say, finally interrupting him. “I’m fine. I don’t need an internship.” At least, I don’t want him setting one up for me.

“What kind of goddamn business school are you going to? They should be teaching you that youneedan internship. It’s a fucking requirement.” He mumbles something that I can’t hear before saying, “This isn’t negotiable, Willow. You have to have one, and you should be intelligent enough to take advantage of family connections.”

I push up my glasses. “I’ll be okay finding one myself.”