Page 34 of Inseverable (Carolina Beach)

Yet for all the hurt Hunter and Blakeney caused, I haven’t thought about them in a long time, especially since meeting Callahan. He’s the wakeup call I needed to prove life can and will go on for the better—the much better. That kiss alone me was something I’ve never quite experienced.

Too bad it came to an abrupt end.

Not only did he not show up to run with me the next day, he completely disappeared. When I didn’t see him on Monday, and he never popped in on Tuesday, I drove to his place after my shift. His truck was gone, and his place was locked tight.

He didn’t own a cell phone. At least not one that I’d seen, and he hadn’t given me a number where I could reach him. To make things worse, Hunter texted today, pretending like nothing bad had ever come between us.

Hey, Trin. It’s me, Hunter. I swung into town for the 4th. I’d like to see you and catch up. Been missing you.

Yet I haven’t missed him. I didn’t bother to tell him, choosing instead not to respond. It bothers me that I never confronted him, or Blakeney. Not that they gave me a chance.

“Whatcha thinking about, Trin?” Hale asks.

“Not much, just tired,” I answer. I try to smile, but this is one of those grins I only barely manage.

From the back, Becca, Mason, and everyone else who tagged along crack up over something Sean says that I miss.

Hale, it seems misses it, too, the music pumping from his stereo and the wind whipping in from the open windows making it too hard to hear what’s going on behind us. “You can’t be tired,” he tells me. “The night’s too young and so are we.”

He’s right. But after a rough day at the beach involving a too drunk husband, and a very distraught wife, topped with Hunter’s text and Callahan’s absence, it’s all I can do not to beg him to drive me home. For the first time in a long while, Your Mother’s is the last place I want to be. But I can’t let my friends down. These weeks are flying by way too fast, no matter how much I need them to linger.

“I know. But it’s been a long day, you know?” I say.

“I hear you,” he says, making a face. “But some loud music and dancing may be exactly what we both need.” He pats my knee and backs his Tahoe into a spot in the far right corner of the lot.

For all he’s trying to lift my spirits, it seems he needs his lifted as well. I didn’t miss how bummed he seemed when Becca opted to slip in the back with the rest of the crew instead of joining him in the front. But Hale, being Hale, still manages to flash me a smile.

I slip my feet back into my flip flops as he sets his SUV in park. And while I showered and changed back at the beach, I’m not at my best given how weary I am. Everyone piles out, ready to cut loose. I’m not in as big of a rush.

Hale notices, creeping up to me when I hop out of his SUV. “What’s bugging you, Trin?”

“A lot of things. Like I mentioned, it was a long day.”

“It was,” he agrees, watching everyone sweep through the front entrance before Hale and I can even make it halfway across the lot. “’Cept you handled it well like always.”

“I hope,” I say. “Some things are real hard to see. Even if we helped that woman today, it’s not over for her unless she leaves that idiot. I offered her my number and told her to call me if she needs a friend.”

Hale stops in front of me and shakes his head. “Trin, why’d you do that? You can’t help someone who clearly doesn’t want it. Did you see her arms? Some of those bruises were old, but even more were fresh. She’s not in the right frame of mind to accept help.”

“Maybe not today. But it’s always nice to know at least one person cares about you.”

His grin lights up the space between us despite the encroaching night, and almost as much as the short blond curls on top of his head. “Do me a favor, will you?”

I tilt my head. “Sure. What?”

“Don’t ever change, sweet thing.”

He flings his arm around me long enough to kiss the top of my head. He’s trying to be kind, but the brotherly love he shows me pangs at my heart. “What am I going to do without you, Hale?” I ask.

He shrugs, laughing. “Probably save the world like you’ve always planned.”

I smile like he intends, thanking him when he opens the door for me. We’re greeted by Santana on the jukebox and the escalating voices of our friends. I’m not expecting Callahan to be here.

Just like I’m not expecting to find him alone with Becca.

I ground to a halt when I see her beaming up at him, and him leaning across the bar to speak to her softly. Both look in my direction when they realize I’m standing there, Becca’s smile fading as she takes in my face.

No, that doesn’t trigger a bad memory or anything—or cause my heart to fall to the pit of my stomach. Nope. Not at all.

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