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I feel sick.
Even if he doesn’t have to address all of these, the entire world is demanding his attention.
I set the phone back on the nightstand, but the gnawing in my gut hasn’t gone away by the time Tyler returns to bed.
“You okay?” he murmurs as he shifts in next to me, sensing my stiffness.
“Yeah.” I nod.
He wraps his arm around me and falls asleep.
As much as I want him, there’s been distance between us since I arrived. It won’t be eliminated tonight.
I reach for my necklace with the promise ring and the rose pendant.
It’s not there.
The piece of jewelry I’ve had since my first summer with Tyler that’s been with me even when he wasn’t. It gave me hope when I had no reason to hope, and clutching it in my fist has always renewed my faith—in the world and in us.
I run a hand over the bedside table, then check the bathroom.
Without turning on a light, I pull on a robe and head outside to the yard. I had the necklace in the pool.
I’m fifteen minutes into my frantic search when the gate sounds.
Startled, I bolt around the house to find a woman in a blond wig and sunglasses smoking a joint.
“Rae, you scared the shit out of me. How was your set?” I manage once I recover from the surprise.
She pulls off her sunglasses but doesn’t answer.
I frown. “That bad?”
“The set was good.” Her voice is unusually tight. “Why’re you up by yourself?”
“I was looking for my necklace. I must’ve lost it in the yard today.”
She follows me to grab flashlights. We split up in the bushes, her taking one end and me starting at the other.
“Guys are assholes.” The night air carries her voice.
I stiffen, not crossing to her because I don’t want to shut her down but working my way closer, my hands skimming the grass. “Maybe it would help to talk about it.”
“I said I’d play another night, and I will. But whoever owns that place needs a wake-up call.”
I’ve learned pressing with Rae is like pressing against a concrete wall, but I’m concerned. We all have to deal with hurdles working in this industry, some of which range from gray issues to things that would turn your stomach.
“Gotta remind myself if you have your own back, you never need to worry about who else does.”
The earnestness from my friend makes my chest twinge.
We find nothing in this half of the yard, and eventually I meet her back at the patio.
Rae nods toward the pool chairs. I kneel down, peering under one chair, then another.
I eventually find the necklace caught in the pool filter, the clasp broken. Somehow, the ring is still on it and the pendant. I dry it on my outfit and fold it in my hand, heaving a sigh of relief.
But when I stroke a finger over the pendant, my stomach sinks.
