Almost Just Friends (Wildstone #4)(28)

Choices. It was all about choices, and every one of them had a consequence. Frankly, it was exhausting.

On the way to grab lunch, a call came through that had them taking off fast, following a fire truck to a multicar accident. They weaved and bobbed through traffic, Jenna being very liberal with her horn while muttering about idiots who should have their licenses revoked.

Reports were coming in about injuries, but no specifics, which meant they had no idea what they’d be running into.

Sort of the theme of Piper’s life.

She felt her phone buzz with a text and eyed the message. It was from a real estate agent friend of hers, whom she’d contacted several months back for advice on selling the property. Alaina had suggested Piper give the house and cottages a light makeover for curb appeal, and in the meantime, Alaina would hunt down some potential buyers. Seemed she’d found a possible buyer, who’d be in town in two weeks.

Piper slid her phone away. Two weeks . . . perfect timing. She’d talk to her siblings about selling, something she hadn’t found time to do yet, and they’d continue to get the place ready, together. Then Gavin and Winnie would go back to their lives, and she’d be on the way to hers.

“So?” Jenna asked.

“So . . . what?”

“You still haven’t told me what’s happening between you and Hot Guy. You’ve ignored all my questions.”

“And you think now, heading to the scene of a major accident, is a good time?”

Jenna took a sharp left turn that had Piper practically kissing her window. “Hey!”

“Start talking.”

“I texted you the other day that everything’s fine, I’ve just been busy.”

“Yeah, and that’s not suspicious at all . . .” Jenna took another hard turn and Piper braced herself.

“You do know that you can’t afford another driving warning, right?”

“My driving’s perfect,” Jenna said. “Back up to what happened on the night of the storm last week. You’ve been cagey about that ever since. Ryland said he saw you and Hot Guy talking at the back door for a bit. Did he follow you home?”

“He has a name. It’s Cam. And what does my ex care who I was talking to?”

“Back up,” Jenna said. “Repeat that.”

“What does Ryland care who I—”

“Not that,” Jenna said. “The other thing.”

Piper blinked. “Are you hungover again?”

“I’m referring to the fact that you’re on a first-name basis with . . . Cam.” She waggled her eyebrows.

“He’s Emmitt’s son.”

Jenna looked confused. “Emmitt . . .”

“My neighbor. The guy who runs the marina.”

Jenna’s smile faded. “Rowan’s brother?”

“Yes. He’s a Coast Guard Reservist and with the DEA, though he’s on temporary leave from that at the moment.”

“Okay, let me see if I’ve got this straight. You’re boning a sexy DEA slash military hottie, who happens to be the marina owner’s son . . .”

“Oh my God, you’re a child.”

“Just tell me you got some,” Jenna said. “Wait, never mind. If you had, you’d be smiling.”

Jenna was her best friend, but how Piper felt about Cam was complicated. But he’d definitely made her smile . . .

“What aren’t you telling me? Wait a second, are you suddenly smiling into the window?”

“You can’t possibly see that.”

“Maybe not, but I can hear it.”

“I’m not smiling.” But she wanted to. “Look, there might’ve been a kiss.” Or two . . . “But that’s all I’m telling you.”

“Shut up. No, don’t shut up! Tell me everything! You buried the lede! Did he throw you down on the bed and jump your bones? Oh my God, I want someone to throw me down on the bed and jump my bones!”

“If a man threw me down on my bed,” Piper said dryly, “it’d better be followed up with him telling me to stay put because he’s going to clean the whole house for me.”

This was a big fat lie. If she had Cam in her bed, they’d absolutely not be talking about cleaning.

“You’re ruining the fantasy. Back up and start at the kiss.”

“We’re done talking about this.”

“Are you going to sleep with him?”

Piper tossed up her hands. “What part of ‘we’re done talking about this’ don’t you get?”

“Come on. If he’s only here for a couple of weeks, you need to hurry up and blow off some steam. Or just blow.”

Piper laughed; she couldn’t help it. “You did not just say that.”

“Look, he’s perfect for you. He’ll be gone before even you can screw up any real relationship with him.”

Is that what she did?

“Yes,” Jenna said, reading her mind. “It is. See Ryland as an example. He wanted more, you bailed. Also, you put everyone’s needs ahead of your own, making yourself the lowest priority. You need to stop, by the way. And you should also put that in your journal under your ridiculous list of rules for yourself.”

“Shh,” Piper said, and turned up the radio connecting them to the scene of the accident. “They’re calling for another unit.”