Page 107 of Rest In Pieces

“That was the plan, but they decided to add a meet-and-greet, and they were worried about jet lag, so now that means I need to pack like a crazy person. What the heck do I wear? I mean, it’s London; it rains a lot there, right?”

I shrug. “Who knows? The weather over there’s bipolar.”

“It doesn’t matter; I’ll figure it out. I can always pick up a few things while I’m there. Oh God, I’m nervous.” She smooths her hands down her skirt.

I step forward and wrap my arms around her. “Breathe. You’re going to have a blast. I’m going to miss you, though. Take a million pictures for me.”

“I will, I promise. Wow, if my dad knew I was doing this, he’d have a heart attack.”

“He’ll get over it. Besides, what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”

She blows out a shaky breath and nods, tucking her hair behind her ear—one of her nervous habits.

“I wish I could go with you. If it was just a few weeks later…”

“Nope. Don’t you dare feel guilty. I’m the one who said yes to this after I’d already agreed to work for you. If anyone should feel guilty, it’s me.”

“How about we both agree to be guilt-free, then?”

“Deal. And hey, at least you get to rock the RV with Mr. MC for a couple weeks.”

“Mm-hmm…” I mutter noncommittally, following Nevaeh inside.

“What’s that supposed to mean? You guys are okay, right?”

“I’m mad at him right now.” I sit down as she drags her suitcase out from under the bed and starts tossing things into it.

“What happened?”

I bite my lip, but I know she won’t let go until I spill my guts. So I do. I tell her everything—from waking up and finding myself alone in G’s bed to seeing my helmet in Monica’s hand, and the words me and G had before.

She listens quietly as she continues to pack. Once I’m done talking, I get up and go grab her toiletries from the bathroom. When I come back with them, she’s sitting on the side of the bed.

“You know I always have your back. Always. So if you need me to hate G, I will. I’ll cut nipple holes in all of his T-shirts and spill a Coke on his keyboard.”

I grin and sit next to her. “I feel like there’s a ‘but’coming on.”

“ButI think you overreacted. Could he have made different choices? Sure. But at the end of the day, his job is to keep Monica safe. So if that means checking on her in the middle of the night or having her ride on the back of his bike, then so be it. It’s not like he wants her. Anyone with eyes can see that. Now, with that being said, if her being on the back of a bike bothers you so much, then I think a little revenge is in order. Get bestie number two to give you a ride. Toot seems like he’d have no problem messing with G.”

“Great minds think alike,” I say. “I told him to ask Havoc to come pick me up. I could tell he wanted to argue when I told him it didn’t mean anything, but he couldn’t without proving my point.”

“So devious. It’s my second favorite thing about you.”

“Really? What’s the first?”

“Your excellent taste in best friends, obviously.”

“Obviously,” I deadpan, laughing when she pokes me in the ribs.

“Just give him a chance to make it up to you, okay?” She gives me a look, and I nod. “Besides, I’ve heard both angry sex and makeup sex are the best.”

“You’re not just short like Yoda; you’re wise like him too.”

“I’m tall enough to punch you in the boob.” I jump away, laughing.

“I can’t believe my little baby is all grown up and...”

“Saving China?” She finishes with a laugh.

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