Page 33 of The Perfect People

“She’s texted me throughout the day,” Jessie answered. “Sent me a few photos too, lounging on the beach, that kind of thing. But like I said, I was going to call just to check in, if that’s cool.”

He hadn’t even responded when her phone rang. She looked at it and then held it out to show him, unable to keep the smile off her face. Then she answered.

“Speak of the devil,” she said, “we were just talking about you. How’s it going?”

***

“Why were you talking about me?” Hannah asked as she stood, leaning against a wooden fence overlooking a cliff in Santa Monica’s Palisades Park. “Have I done something wrong without knowing it?”

“No,” Jesse replied. “I was just telling Ryan that you were texting me updates, but I wanted to actually hear your voice.”

“That’s very sweet,” Hannah said. “Well, to answer your question, I’m with the Wildpines crew, of course. We’re just admiring a cliffside view of the pier and the ocean while we wait for our dinner table to be ready. Patrice got reservations at a seafood place across the street that supposedly has amazing lobster rolls, so I’m pretty excited.”

As she spoke, she and the others stood side by side along the wooden fence overlooking the cliff, with her at one end. Chris, at the other end, was playing peek-a-boo with her, poking his head out from behind Carlos and then darting behind him again.

“You sound excited, maybe even a little giddy,” Jessie said. “Are you sure it’s about the lobster rolls?”

“What do you mean?” Hannah asked, feeling her face flush in the darkness.

“I guess I’m just wondering if there’s one particular lobster roll that you’re more excited about than the others?”

Hannah wanted to plead ignorance to Jessie’s real reference but knew it was a waste of time.

“How did you know?” she asked in a hushed voice.

“I can profile voices too, little sister,” Jessie told her.

Even though Annie, who was standing next to her, was deep in conversation with Doug, Hannah turned and leaned away from her.

“Chris and I are really hitting it off,” she whispered into the phone. “I wasn’t sure if the connection I felt up in the mountains would still be there, but we picked up right where we left off.”

“That’s awesome, have fun with it,” Jessie said, sounding genuinely excited for her. Then there was a brief pause in which Hannah knew the caveat was coming. “But nottoomuch fun.”

“Jessie, I’m eighteen,” Hannah started to protest.

“No, that’s not what I mean,” her sister said quickly. “I trust you to make the best decisions for yourself when it comes to what you do with Chris. I just mean, don’t let the fun get in the way of staying alert. I hate to be a bummer, but with everything that’s happened to us lately, I feel like I have to give you the obligatory reminder: be vigilant. Keep your eyes open. If something feels off, trust your instincts. And don’t hesitate to call me if things go south. Deal?”

“Deal,” Hannah said.

“I’m really sorry I had to go there,” Jessie told her.

“It’s okay,” Hannah assured her. “I would have almost been disappointed if you hadn’t. Almost.”

“Glad I could live up to expectations,” Jessie said. “Now I’m going to stop being such a downer and let you go. Have fun and give Chris a kiss for me.”

“Goodbye,” Hannah said firmly.

“Goodbye, little sis,” Jessie said.

Hannah could hear her chuckling as she hung up. When she turned back around the rest of the gang was still engaged in their various conversations, save for Chris, who was looking at her curiously. He walked over.

“Is everything okay?” he asked. “Your energy kind of changed there after you got that phone call.”

“No, I’m good. I was just checking in with my sister.” she told him. “I think I’m getting a little peckish though. Any word on how much longer before our table might be ready?”

“Let me check with Patrice,” he said, stepping back over to the group.

With his attention elsewhere, Hannah took the opportunity to look around. She tried to be as casual about it as possible, but as she made a leisurely turn around the park, she scanned everyone in the area, looking for anybody who appeared suspicious or whose gaze lingered on her longer than it should have.

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