and the Stallions MC had been left, whooping and hollering and shooting Jack Daniels as they jigged to “Devil Went Down to Georgia.” Finally, in the early morning hours, the calmer and wiser group retired, too, and only Lorenna McKetcham’s girls remained.
“I’m going to sleep,” I’d told them when Jonquil Pepper had said something about skinny-dipping, because seeing my former kindergarten teacher naked by the light of the full moon was maybe the only thing that would make the evening worse. My face felt sore from forcing a smile so long, and my heart ached.
I had no idea how to feel about Toby, and that was the truth. I’d asked him for honesty, and he’d lied. I’d thought we were getting close, and it turned out he wasn’t the person I’d thought I knew at all. I’d given him my heart, even if he didn’t know it, and he’d drop-kicked it off a cliff.
So, I’d gone to bed last night full of righteous anger—alone, since Toby had moved all his shit into the main house—but I hadn’t been able to sleep. Instead, I’d replayed that incredible, confusing round of kitchen sex over and over in my mind, along with the conversation before and after it. I’d pounded my pillow and debated hauling Toby out of the main house and back to the guesthouse to sleep next to me and Marjorie, where he belonged, but I hadn’t.
When I finally fell asleep, I dreamed of Toby drowning in the shallow end of the pool, and the look on his face was the same one he’d worn last night when he’d reminded me I had a soul mate waiting for me.
That got my heart racing, and blinking my eyes open to the sight of Marjorie’s butt instead of Toby’s sly smile only made my snarly mood worse. And that was even before Mason came knocking on the door carrying a tray full of pancakes and syrup, with a sleepy Fenn trailing behind him.
“Where’s Toby?” he demanded, looking around like I might be hiding the man under a piece of furniture. “I made him pancakes to apologize for being cranky last night.”
“He’s with you.” I filled the kettle, turned on the burner, and nodded toward the main house.
“Mmm, that’d be a no,” Fenn said with a yawn. “The only bed in the place so far is the one in our room, and I was happily sprawled in it until Mase shouted at me three minutes ago.” When Mason shot him a look, he grinned and corrected, “I mean, until my beloved’s dulcet tones awakened me like the most beautiful birdsong. And Toby wasn’t sleeping on the living room couch, right? My eyes weren’t fully open when I shuffled past.”
Mason shook his head, brow furrowed, and set the tray of pancakes down on the counter.
Yes, that counter. I avoided looking at it.
“But he took his suitcase,” I said dumbly. “He has no way off the island. He’s gotta be in your house.”
“You sure about that?” Fenn scratched his head. “Everyone on the Key seemed to know and like him. Pretty sure he could’ve gotten anyone to take him to the airport? Or maybe asked to crash on their couch.”
“Besides, Toby has plenty of money.” Mason rubbed a palm over his forehead tiredly. “He does some kind of writing for a living, and he’s got a rainy-day fund that’s like the GDP of a small country. If he wanted to leave, he’d find a way. Shit.” He slumped onto one of the stools dejectedly. “I should have known he’d leave. That’s what he does. When things in his relationships get tough, he backs off. Hell, even when you and I got together, he stopped returning my calls for a little while,” he told Fenn, who’d placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Toby hates leaving himself open to being hurt.”
I got out my phone and texted Littlejohn: Hey, is Trey with you?
“This doesn’t make sense. Toby wanted to talk to you, Mase. He wanted your advice about his problem in New York.” My head pounded and I winced. “That’s why he came to the Key. He wouldn’t have left without talking to you.”
“Yeah, well.” Mason winced. “He may have tried to ask last night, and I may have been a teensy bit harsh with him.”
Fenn snorted. “You think?”
Mase shot him a look, but Fenn didn’t back down, and Mason sighed.
“Harsh how?” I asked.
“You don’t date people casually, Beale,” Mason hedged.
“Right.”
“And I care about you very much,