Page 169 of California Wild

She shifted in her seat. “Yeah, my place is fine.”

Zoe hummed, her perfectly manicured fingers tapping the wheel as she switched lanes. “So, you’re actually staying there tonight?”

The way she phrased it sent a prickle of unease through Hayley’s spine.

Like she already knew the answer.

Like she was waiting for Hayley to slip.

Hayley forced herself to stretch, covering the way her pulse spiked. “Uh, yeah. I mean… I live there.”

Zoe didn’t say anything right away.

She just nodded, slowly, her gaze flicking to Hayley’s out of the corner of her eye.

Hayley felt it then—the shift. The unspoken weight in the air.

Had Caiden said something?

Had he told Zoe about the fight on Sunset? Had he thrown Jesse’s name out there?

A sick feeling curled in her stomach.

She needed to shut this down.

She let out a soft, tired laugh. “God, I’m exhausted,” she muttered, rubbing her eyes dramatically. “That drive was long as hell.”

Zoe finally smirked, the tension loosening just a fraction. “Yeah, I bet. Get some sleep. You have writing tomorrow with Caiden?”

“Yes, we sure do,” Hayley replied.

“I’m excited to see what you guys create this time. The band has more of a personality now. More of a unified voice.”

“Yeah, but—that said, we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us. Everyone has big concept ideas and we just need to start stitching things together.”

“Perfect. Time to get pen to paper,” Zoe said.

The Tesla rolled to a stop outside Hayley’s building.

She was out of the car before Zoe could ask another question, bag slung over her shoulder, boots hitting the steps too fast.

She didn’t breathe until the front door clicked shut behind her.

Then—silence.

She flicked on the lights. The apartment glowed softly, shadows slipping into the corners, but the air felt off. Not just still—hollow. Cold in a way that had nothing to do with temperature.

This wasn’t Jesse’s place.

There was no weight here. No warmth. No life.

This was just space. Walls and furniture. Somewhere to land, not somewhere to stay.

Hayley kicked off her boots and dropped her bag by the couch, arms folding tight around herself. Her phone buzzed in her hand—but it wasn’t him. Just junk. Spam. Nothing that mattered.

She stared down at his name in her contacts.

Thumb hovered.

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