Page 24 of No Place Left to Hide

“Blame, sure. Attack? No.”

I shrug. “I’ll be gone soon enough, and then there’ll be a cool three thousand miles between me and Brandon Heck.”

“And everyone else.”

“Except you.”

He stares me down. “Except me.”

Jena appears in the bedroom doorway, and her eyes widen. She starts to slide away, but Dylan spots her. Another moment gone.

“Sorry!” she says. “I was coming to check on you and make sure you know what time it is. I don’t want you to be home late.”

I turn back to Dylan. “I have a midnight curfew.”

He holds out an arm, gesturing for me to go ahead of him. “I’ll walk you out.”

Having Dylan at my side is an unexpected save. Nobody would dare say anything about Claire or Brandon in front of Dylan—whois objectively the person most hurt by her accident outside of her family. If Dylan is okay with me, everyone else has to at least keep their mouth shut until we’re gone.

Jena steps outside first, but Felix is waiting on the porch, so she pops over to say goodbye to him. I keep walking, and Dylan follows me down the street toward the Subaru. He doesn’t say anything. His hands are stuffed into his front pockets, and he’s giving off a nervous energy.

Flashes of a fire pit and a passed-around bottle of Malibu fill my mind, and I look up at him. “Why do we only run into each other at the occasional drama-filled party?”

He smiles. “We’re extra like that.”

We reach the Subaru and I lean against the door. Jena and Felix are still all the way down the street in front of Beau’s house, probably staring intensely into each other’s eyes.

Dylan brushes a stray piece of hair off my cheek, drawing my attention back to him. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

I force a smile. “Of course.”

“I’m sorry tonight turned out the way it did. But I am glad we got a chance to talk. I’m looking forward to a drama-free prom.”

After Brandon’s little visit, I can practically feel Claire’s ghost hovering over me. Waiting to ruin everything. Maybe prom will seem exciting again in the light of day, but right now it sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. I hate that it feels that way. Prom with Dylan should be a fairy tale.

I don’t say any of that though. “I am too. It’ll be fun. Maybe Jena and Felix will share a limo with us.”

“Oh god. Felix would absolutely trash a limo. Didn’t he throw up in the one they got for homecoming?”

My laugh surprises me. “On second thought, maybe we should rent our own.”

“I’d like to keep you to myself anyway.” His gaze dances across my face, and this feels dangerous in ways I can’t even explain. “Drive safe, okay?”

“I will.” I grab the hem of his sweatshirt and start to pull it over my head. “You probably need this back if you’re staying on the beach, huh?”

Dylan frowns and reaches out to stop me. His hand closes around my wrist. “No, no, it’s fine. You should keep it. It’s cold tonight.”

“I think I’ll be okay. Unlike you, I’ll have heated seats at my disposal,” I say, pointing a thumb at the Subaru over my shoulder. “You’ll be a lot colder than I will.”

He stares at me for a beat longer, looking like he’s chewing on a thought.

“What?”

He shakes his head but his fingers flex on my arm. “Nothing. Do me a favor and keep the sweatshirt anyway. It’ll give me a good excuse to come find you on Monday and get it back.”

I smile, thrilled at the prospect of having something of his for the whole weekend. This feels like girlfriend stuff. You don’t loan clothing to someone you don’t give a shit about. Or ask them to prom. Right? “You don’t need an excuse to come see me.”

He backs away. “I know. Keep it anyway.”

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