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Clearing her throat, Liv managed a nod.
Jess rubbed her forehead as if she had a headache. “He’s not home. He said he had to go out for something.”
Her throat felt dry and scratchy. “Will he…be back soon?”
Jess shrugged. “He didn’t say.”
Her brain was screaming, “Retreat, retreat!” So she shuffled backward, muttering something about needing to be somewhere and catching him later.
Jess was still frowning. “Are you okay, Liv?”
“Yep, yep,” she said, darting her gaze around like a madwoman, her palms sweating. “Have a great day.”
Jess glanced down at herself, then lifted her gaze again, opening her mouth to say something, then appearing to think better of it.
Liv gave an awkward wave, turned on her heel, and hurried to her car, climbed in, and drove off.
Chapter
Twenty-Six
“Hello? Earth to Arran.”
Arran blinked, lifting his gaze from the messages, or lack thereof, on his phone to meet his mum’s eyes across the kitchen.
Fiona arched an eyebrow. “I asked you what you want for dinner.”
“Oh, sorry.” He ran a hand over his hair. “I really don’t mind. Whatever you and Dad fancy.”
He frowned at his phone again. Why hadn’t Liv returned his messages? He’d sent one as soon as he’d gotten back from his impromptu morning walk, being in such a hurry to leave the house that he’d forgotten his phone. Jess had been wandering around for what felt like an eternity wearing nothing but the T-shirt she’d borrowed to sleep in and her underwear, and it had made him painfully uncomfortable. He’d kept telling her to feel welcome to grab a shower and that she could borrow any clothing that she wanted, but it had seemed to fall on deaf ears.
Eventually, when he had been trying to make a drink and she’d kept brushing close beside him, he’d announced that he needed to go out for something. Then he’d bolted out of there, not stopping tograb anything, in case she’d followed him out of the bloody house still in that goddamn T-shirt and knickers.
Liv hadn’t answered that first message, sent in the late morning. Nor the one he’d sent that afternoon once he’d dropped off a (finally) clothed Jess, picked up Jayce, and arrived at his parents’ house. And both of the texts had been hot, explaining with an impressive amount of detail what he wanted to do to her the next day.
She was probably just busy. She’d had breakfast with her family, then no doubt she would’ve gone to see Maya, who’d been at her own parents’ for lunch. Or maybe she’d popped in to see Elise and Jack. It wasn’t like she’d be staring at her phone, waiting for him to message. The way he was doing with her.
“Your dad fancies steak,” his mum was saying.
“Great,” Arran said absently, wondering what Liv was doing right now.
Fiona came to sit beside him. “What’s wrong, love? You’ve been distracted since you arrived. Everything okay with Jayce?”
He touched her arm, regretful that he’d made her concerned. “He’s great. Absolutely brilliant.”
“The studio, then?” She crossed her arms. “I know it’s something. You’ve got a face like a skelped arse, boy.”
He laughed despite himself. “Sorry, Mum.”
She sighed. “Dinnae apologize. Justexplain.”
Arran hesitated. He couldn’t very well say “I’m worried that the woman I’ve been sexting hasn’t replied.”
“Ugh,” Fiona said, huffing out another breath. “You are something else. I’ll be more specific. What’s happening with Liv?”
He snapped his gaze up to meet her eyes. “What?”
She shook her head. “Och, don’t act all surprised. I know there’s something going on with you two. Every time I speak to you it’s ‘Liv this, Liv that.’ Today is the first day in months you haven’tmentioned her. So that, plus you behaving like you’re about to bawl your eyes out, is a giveaway.”
