tougher than this. If I have to fly out there to babysit you in the studio, you’re not going to like it. I will ride your ass day and night until you get that motherfucking album done.”
Everyone stared at her, including me. She made me want to quit being a pansy. About what, I had no idea, but her tone didn’t leave any room for argument.
She smiled and when she spoke again, she was all sugar. “That’s what I like to hear. It’s going to be amazing. I have faith in you. Okay, we’ll talk soon.” With a satisfied breath, she put her phone away. “Sorry about that.”
I stared at her in awe. She’d gone from sweetheart to hardass take-no-shit woman and back again in the blink of an eye. I was a fucking goner for this girl.
“Dang, you told him,” Scarlett said.
Callie just smiled and slipped her hand in mine. “Shall we?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
No one said anything, but all eyes were on us—or maybe just her—while we walked out.
We left the high school and drove back to my place. I thought about what my brothers had said. We hadn’t talked. I didn’t know where this was going, if anywhere. And the weirdest thing was, I wanted to know. I cared. A lot. And I hadn’t cared about anything this much in a long fucking time.
I parked in front of my house and we both got out. Before we went inside, I stopped in front of my truck and cupped her face in my hands. Kissed her, deeply this time.
“What was that for?” she asked.
“I like you.” I wasn’t ready to start saying the other word, even if I’d thought it a few times. “I know you haven’t been here long, and we aren’t sure what’s going to happen. But this means something to me. I want you to know that.”
A slow smile parted her lips. “This means something to me, too.”
There was that full feeling in my chest again. “So we see where this leads?”
“Yeah. We see where this leads.”
I leaned in to kiss her again, but the crunch of tires coming down my driveway interrupted us. Instinctively, I put myself between Callie and the car, gently nudging her behind me.
A compact maroon two-door with a dent in the bumper on the driver’s side pulled to a stop. A big guy with a dark beard got out and walked toward us.
“Are you Gibson Bodine?”
“Yeah. Who’s asking?”
He held out a manila envelope. “This is for you.”
I took the envelope and watched him like a hawk while he got back into his car and turned around. Didn’t stop watching until he’d driven out of sight.
“That was weird,” Callie said.
“Yeah. It was.”
The envelope had my name on the outside, typed on a white label, but nothing else. I ripped it open and pulled out a thick bundle of paperwork.
“What is it?” Callie asked.
I skimmed the first page, my brow furrowing as I read.
“It’s a lawsuit,” I said. “A wrongful death suit in the case of Callie Kendall. Your parents are suing my family.”
24
MAYA
The tension in Bowie and Cassidy’s living room was thick as mud. One of their cats had disappeared at the first sign of company. The other—a fat orange guy—hadn’t moved from his spot, curled up on a pillow. Jameson stood against the wall with his arms crossed, staring down at the floor. Leah Mae sat on the arm of a chair next to him, casting worried glances his way. Jonah had an arm around Shelby, his muscles bulging, the veins in his arms standing out.
Cassidy sat on the couch next to Bowie, rubbing circles across his back. She had her laptop open in front of her. Bowie leaned forward, elbows on his knees, reading his copy of the lawsuit.
Gibson alternated between standing with crossed arms and pacing. His jaw clenched tight, making the cords in his neck pop, and his face was dark with anger.
He and I had read through the paperwork back at his place. His father’s estate was being sued, and he and his siblings were all named. There were parts of the legalese I didn’t understand, but the bottom line was clear. The Kendalls were suing Jonah Bodine’s estate and its heirs for my supposed death.
It hadn’t taken long for the phone calls to start flying. The other Bodines had all been served. Bowie had told everyone to meet at his place. We were just waiting on Scarlett.
She burst in the front door like a tiny whirlwind. “What