The Confession

“God, no. Honestly?” Jasmine sighed. “My dad is a philandering asshole and my mother is a professional victim, full of wine and martyrdom. Together they’re toxic. Aren’t you sorry you asked?”

“No. I’m just sorry your relationship with them isn’t good. My dad and I were incredibly close. But my mom ran out when I was fifteen. I’ve never seen or heard from her again, so I understand.” Heavenly smiled wryly. “You didn’t even ask, so aren’t you sorry I opened my mouth?”

Jasmine gave her hand an empathetic pat. “Not at all.”

The waitress came to drop off glasses of water and take their order. Afterward, the young woman with the long braid brought their iced tea before she disappeared again, apron swishing.

“Have you eaten here before?” Jasmine asked.

“No. Pike picked this place.”

“You call him by his last name?”

“My boyfriend does, so…”

“Makes sense.” Jasmine sipped her drink. “What do you know about Cullen?”

“He’s”—Heavenly tried to think of something that wouldn’t be a lie—“quiet. He’s surprised me a time or two. The tattoos and the piercings, the camo and the attitude? I think they hide a decent guy.” Maybe. “He doesn’t date around, from what I can tell.” But she had no idea what—or who—he did at Shadows.

Jasmine shrugged. “That’s not really my concern. We’re just friends.”

Heavenly nibbled on her lip, trying to decide if she should say more. “I think he’s hoping to be more than your friend.”

“I know. He’s made that clear.” She grimaced.

“You’re not interested?”

The redhead took a long time answering. “Right after I moved here, I met someone else. The circumstances were really unusual. We hooked up, and…”

Did she mean River? “You’re seeing that guy now?”

“No.” She winced. “I kind of…ran out on him in the middle of the night. He doesn’t even know my name. But I admit, I’m a little hung up on him.”

Heavenly tried not to gape. She hadn’t seen that coming. How much did she dare say?

“What is it?” Jasmine drilled. “Your face… What’s that expression about?”

Drat. She’d never been good at hiding her emotions. “Are you talking about River?”

Jasmine’s eyes went wide as she reared back and blinked. “H-how do you know?” Then her face soured. “Cullen told you.”

Heavenly shook her head. “He’s never said a word to me about that. But River has said plenty.”

Now her eyes bulged. “You know him?”

“Yeah. I’ve made one girlfriend since moving to LA. She just happens to be River’s sister.”

Her jaw dropped. “Seriously?”

“I’m afraid so.” Heavenly heard the clicking of heels and looked up to find a gorgeous brunette with killer sunglasses, a hot pink sundress, and an ever-growing baby bump sashaying in their direction. “And here she is. Hi, Raine.”

Jasmine stood and whirled, seemingly taken aback when River’s younger sister stuck out her hand. “Hi. Have I been wanting to meet you. My brother hasn’t shut up in weeks.”

The redhead gaped. “You know?”

“That you had a one-night stand with him? Yeah. Did I overhear you say that you ran out on him in the middle of the night?” Raine laughed. “Serves him right. Builds character.”

Jasmine looked Heavenly’s way, clearly not convinced she’d heard Raine correctly. “Are you kidding?”