Page 43 of Fractured Hearts

Ezra sighs. “You seriously can’t tell she has feelings for you?”

I don’t bother responding, keeping my eyes on Jo. “Since when? You’re my best friend. Why didn’t you tell me?” I’m hurt and confused.

“Because it didn’t matter!” Jo says, face flushing either from anger or embarrassment. “All you talked about was how you loved Ezra and wanted to find him. What was I supposed to do, Maverick? Rip my heart out and lay it at your feet for you to stomp on? No, thank you. Suffering in silence was easier because at least I still had you.”

Jo storms past me and is out the door before I have time to process what she said and stop her. Instead, I just stare at the open bedroom door with my mouth hanging open and try to figure out what just happened. A warm, calloused hand on my bare shoulder stops me when I go to take a step and find Jo.

“She’s going to call Harlow. Just let her calm down before you talk to her,” Ezra says, and that horrible and sickly feeling of jealousy rears its ugly head again. I turn to him and nod, knowing that I don’t have anything nice to say right now. Once he’s convinced I’m going to stay where I am, he makes his way to the door. “Oh, and Maverick?” he says, stopping in the doorway, but not turning around. “You better know exactly how you feel about her when you do.”

With that ominous warning, he leaves.

I don’t know how I fucking feel about eggs most mornings, never mind people. I thought I knew. I thought my feelings were very simple.

I’m in love with Ezra. I love Jo as my best friend.

But I can’t honestly say either of those things is true anymore.

forty-one

JO

“What did he do?” Harlow yells the moment her face appears on my phone screen. “I’ll take out his knees!” Her face is turning as red as her hair. “Callahan! Get snacks! We’re going on a road trip!”

“Harlow,” I say gently, alarmed by my usually calm friend’s outburst.

“Send me your coordinates,” she says, and I can hear her bustling around her house. “Callahan!” she yells again.

“What’s wrong? What’s going on?” Cal asks, sounding panicked.

“Ezra hurt Jo. We’re going to show him the consequences.”

I can’t see Cal, but I can picture how confused he must be because I feel the same.

“Harlow!” I yell to get her attention. “It wasn’t Ezra!”

Harlow’s face swings to me, and she frowns. “Did you watch Beaches by yourself again?” her tone is that of a very disappointed mother, which makes me snort.

“No, but I’m not going to tell you until you sit down and stop threatening people’s knees.”

“Fine,” Harlow mutters and takes a seat in a white wicker chair on her cute little screened-in porch.

I see a text pop up on the top of my screen.

Cal: The pregnancy rage has been terrible. Tread carefully.

At least that explains the outburst.

I take a deep breath and tell Harlow everything that had happened since Maverick showed up on the beach. It’s only been a few hours, but it was long enough to blow up what was left of my life. She was already aware of my feelings for Maverick and that I was letting Ezra believe we were together, so none of it surprised her. Her anger did seem to transfer from Ezra to Maverick, though.

“Where is he? Let me talk to him,” she says through clenched teeth.

“It’s not his fault, Harry. It’s mine. You warned me about getting too close to an unavailable man or this would happen.”

“I don’t like that I was right,” Harlow says, her shoulders relaxing.

“You love being right,” I say, trying to smile.

“Not about this.”