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Ty looked skeptical. “You put coconut oil in your coffee?”
“God, Ty. I did not have sex with your brother.” She stomped her foot, her hands clenching as she drew in a breath.
I sighed as I sensed one of her nervous word-vomits coming on.
“I’m trained in massage therapy and Atlas has a sore back so…so that’s what the oil was for and”—to my horror, she yanked up the hem of the T-shirt, revealing—to my relief—her denim shorts—“I’m wearing clothes under this shirt. Atlas gave it to me to sleep in since I lost my bag with all my things in it. He gave me sweats too but they were way too big and too hot, so I didn’t wear them.”
Her chest heaved by the end of her rant. She tucked one side of the shirt into the waistband of her shorts, so no one was confused or left wondering.
Ty seemed completely unaffected by what she’d said.
“Oh, that reminds me.” He held out the bag he’d had over his shoulder. “You’re welcome.”
Wren’s head jerked back, and she gasped. “My bag!” She reached for it, grabbing it from his hands and cradling it against her chest. “How? Where?”
“Wanda said she found it under the desk when she came in to open this morning.”
Wren frowned, her brow crinkling in confusion.
I pushed off the table. “Is anything missing?”
Wren’s gaze shifted to me, blinking as though she’d forgotten I was there.
She set the bag on the table, unzipping it carefully with trembling hands.
She methodically went through the contents of the backpack, and I was struck again by how someone could possess so little. The bag wasn’t even full and yet she’d said this was all she had.
When she put her things back in place and zipped it up, she looked over at me, her brow still furrowed. “Everything is here.” She didn’t look as pleased as I expected.
“Maybe someone accidentally moved it or something.” Ty shrugged.
Wren wrung her hands over the bag strap, not looking convinced. “I guess so.”
She tucked a curl that had escaped her messy bun behind her ear. She was still shaking.
“You all right?” I asked.
She met my gaze, and for a moment I thought she was going to say something. But then she nodded, looking back down at her backpack.
I was about to ask whether she wanted me to look over the bag myself, but Ty stepped up to her before I had the chance.
“Hey, Wren.” His voice took on a rare serious tone. She turned toward him, and he took her hand.
My body tensed at his willingness to touch her so effortlessly. Like he didn’t think twice about it. Something flared in my blood, and it startled me when I realized what it was: jealousy.
“I wanted to apologize for last night.” His eyes darkened with genuine regret. Something I barely ever saw on Ty’s face. “I shouldn’t have left you there alone.”
Wren looked stunned. “Oh.” She pulled her hand gently from his and patted his arm. “No, you have nothing to be sorry for. I should apologize. I lied to you. Practically pushed you into your car and told you to drive away.”
Ty shook his head, his curls falling into his eyes. “No, I owe you an apology, a real one.” He clenched his jaw. “It was wrong of me to leave you in that damn parking lot.”
I ground my back teeth. “Wait,” I said, voice sharp. Their eyes snapped to me. “Are you saying you were with Wren last night?”
I think Ty might’ve paled.
“Uh…” he stuttered. “I had a little emergency, and she said she had a ride coming…”
My whole body went rigid. Something built in my gut with a force I wasn’t prepared for. “You just left her, alone, in the middle of the fucking night?”
Wren opened her mouth to speak but I didn’t hear her. I didn’t even have time to think; it was as if my body had a will of its own as I stepped forward and slammed my fist into my little brother’s face.
