Thick as Thieves (Aster Valley 4)

“A catamaran?”

“Oh yeah. And some Jet Skis they returned damaged because they’d been drinking.”

I squeezed my eyes shut. “Fuck. Parker’s gonna lose his mind. Let’s not tell him about that part right away.”

“Well, that’s the problem, though. Erin’s freaking out right now. And when she gets like that, she doesn’t want me to help her, or her parents…”

“She wants Parker,” I said grimly.

“Right. Even when she knows he’ll be upset. Remember what happened when she got a DUI a couple of years ago?”

I did. Her parents had lost their minds and come down on her hard. But that had been nothing compared to Parker’s reaction after he’d gone to bail her out. After I’d been hit by a drunk driver in graduate school, Parker had gotten militant against driving under the influence. He’d seen Erin’s action as a betrayal in many ways. They’d fought about it so much, he’d broken up with her. At the time, he’d sworn that was a permanent deal breaker, but then—just like always—he’d fallen right back in with her when she’d come to her senses and apologized.

At least she hadn’t been texting him last night. But then again… if she’d been texting Hazel, maybe she’d been texting Parker, too, and he just hadn’t had his phone on.

“And Jules, that’s not the worst part,” Hazel continued. “When Nolan packed up yesterday, he just stuffed his clothes into a backpack he and Erin had used on a hike the day before…”

“Oh, god. Do not tell me—”

“That Erin’s wallet and passport are at the bottom of a backpack, which is right now somewhere between the Mexican resort and a tiny Costa Rican surf town, so that she’s stuck at a resort with no money and no way to get home? Yeah.” Hazel sounded weary. “The thing is, I can’t even blame Nolan for all this. I mean, he’s a total airhead, but she was right there, signing the receipts, letting it all happen. It’s like she forgot that actions have consequences.”

Because for Erin, they didn’t seem to. Not permanent ones, anyway.

“She’s my best friend, Jules, but I can’t figure out how to help her anymore or if I should even try.”

I waved Tiny down and apologized. “I have to take this call inside. You okay out here?”

He nodded and began to climb down. “I’m going to go get you a new fixture. This one’s not rated for this temperature.”

I thanked him and returned to my call. “Let me ask Parker if he’s heard from her,” I told Hazel. “We’ll reach out to Rod and Lorraine if not.”

“Rod and Lorraine are visiting Erin’s uncle Dave in California on a kind of post-wedding golf extravaganza. They were my first call, but I had to leave them a message. I didn’t want to bring you or Parker into this unless I had to… but then I realized maybe Erin already had.” I could hear the hesitation in her voice. “Jules?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?” I asked. But I knew. She was sorry that, once again, my life was going to turn on Erin’s whim. Because when Erin called, Parker answered. And when she needed him, he came running.

And Hazel didn’t know how much worse it was going to be this time, because she didn’t know that Parker and I were together now.

Parker’s selfless friendship was one of the things I loved about him. He was loyal to the people he loved. He’d drop everything to keep his friends from feeling pain. But when he dropped everything for Erin, it usually ended in a new attempt at a relationship with her.

At least, it had.

“Let me know what you find out,” she said.

I ended the call and opened the front door. Parker was in the kitchen area putting bread in the toaster. The scent of fresh-brewed coffee filled the air.

I wondered if this would be the end of our time together here in Aster Valley. Would we come back here? Would this all disappear like a popped soap bubble once Parker realized Erin needed him?

I walked over and put my arms around him from behind, tucking my nose into the side of his neck to inhale the Parker scent of him.

He grabbed one of my hands and pulled it up to kiss it. “Hey. You want jam on your toast? There’s some strawberry left, but we’ll need to get more. I may have snuck eight or ten pieces of toast yesterday before you woke up.”

I moved around to grab the coffee he’d already fixed for me. “Yes, please.” After taking a sip to fortify myself, I asked him if he’d heard from Erin.

“You heard, huh?” Parker rolled his eyes as he slathered jam on the bread. “Yeah, Erin called right after you stepped out. Nolan left with her money and her passport.” He slurped a blob of strawberry off the side of his finger and somehow managed to make it sexy. “Not to beat a dead horse, baby, but your choice in boyfriends has improved. Like, exponentially.”