Page 31 of Whirlwind

“Yep.”

“Did she calm her ass down?” he asked.

“Uh, not really.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Oh shit…”

I cleared my throat.

“Man… okay. Okay. I get it, Beck. I do. Just…I hope it doesn’t ruin anything. The two of you are my friends and…”

“Everything’s cool.”I guess.I hoped. Although, that way of thinking had gotten me into trouble with Mae, hadn’t it? What the fuck did I know? Didn’t I always think everything was cool? Set it and forget it? But this was different. “Violet’s amazing.”

“Hey, hey, I don’t want to know. She’s like my sister.”

“I didn’t meanthat—but hell yes, to that.I meant, she’s an amazing person.”

“She is amazing, yes,” said Wes. “So, you’re heading back to L.A. today, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Beck, you need to talk or just anything, you call me. I don’t know much about this celebrity crap you deal with, but you know you can trust me.”

My grip on my phone eased. Wes was a good friend, a good person. Did I have many of those in my life? No.

“Beck? You got that?”

“Got it. Means a lot to me, man. Really does.”

“Whatever you need. Whenever.”

“You know what I need right now?”

“Name it.”

“I need to ride this sick bike of mine one last time before I leave South Dakota, and I want to do it with you. I’d like to see my sister in Pine Needle before I leave.” Mom and Finger’s daughter lived in the next town over with her adoptive parents.

“Now you’re talking. Are you ever going to ship that baby out to L.A.?”

“I like having it here. It belongs here.”

Wes let out a low laugh. “Be there in two.”

14

Beck

Zoë ran into my arms.“Beck!

“Zo.” I squeezed her in a huge hug at the entrance to the plant nursery her parents owned.

“You’re here!”

“I’m here.”

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