“I meant to ask you,” she said, rethinking having gone out there in her sleep clothes—an oversized T-shirt and undies. Tugging at the bottom of her shirt, she continued, “So things are not so great with you and Carina?”

Sydney grimaced. “We broke up actually.”

Sarah’s brows shot up, and her heart actually ached for him. He and Carina had been together as long as she and Angel had. “Really?” She pouted, feeling even worse about not having asked earlier.” What happened?”

“Long story,” he said, sitting up with a crooked smile.

“Tell me,” she urged.

It didn’t feel fair that, as usual, their entire conversation tonight had been mostly about her and her issues. For the past several years—ever since the whole nightmare started with her mom being sent to jail and Sarah having to move out to California then dealing with the trial against her coach and every other new thing that happened to her—it was always the same thing. They’d spend the majority of their conversations discussing her dilemmas, and, like tonight, something as big as Sydney breaking up with his girlfriend of nearly three years had not even been brought up. She felt disgusted with herself.

“If I tell you, you gotta promise you’re not gonna feel bad or try to talk me out of it. My mind is made up. Okay?”

Sarah tilted her head, confused. She already felt bad for him. That was a given. This was huge, and she knew how much Sydney cared about Carina. She’d been his first everything. But trying to talk him out of it?

She nodded. “Okay . . .”

With a deep breath, he began. “She’s never been able to deal with you in my life, Lynn, even from a distance. We’d been having other issues too, but that was the biggest one. It’s why I hadn’t come around in so long. Last year, when I cancelled my trip out here last minute, it wasn’t because of my car issues. It was because, when I told her about the trip, things got hairy.”

Sarah remembered how disappointed she’d been when that happened, but she never for a second questioned his reason.

“After another huge argument we had a few weeks ago,” he continued, “she gave me an ultimatum: her or you.” He shrugged with a small smile. “Of course I chose you.”

Chapter 4

Angel

Both Alex and Angel threw their gym bags in the backseat of Alex’s truck. It’d worked out for Angel that the team photo day was today. They had to show up that morning. Between that and then waiting for their turn for all the individual shots, they’d been there until almost noon. Sarah, Syd, and Luna had gone out for breakfast because Syd would be heading out after. Angel missed out on being around the guy and wouldn’t get to be there to see him off.

If Sarah picked up on Angel’s sarcasm when he expressed his regret over missing out, she didn’t show it. He was certain she’d at least chuckle when he laid the disappointment on a little thick, but, instead, she sounded weird. Almost down. He hated to think she was feeling that sad about Sydney leaving so soon.

“I need a favor,” Alex said, starting up his truck.

Angel turned to him. “What?”

“I need you to cover for me this weekend at the restaurant. You’re off, right?”

Frowning, Angel pulled his phone out to check for any new messages from Sarah. “Yeah, I’m off. So’s Sarah,” he said, meaning they would’ve had the weekend off together, but it was rare that Alex asked him to cover for him, so he’d likely be working now.

“I’m only scheduled to open Sunday.” Alex glanced at him then straight ahead again. “Saturday I’m scheduled all day, but Julio said he can cover for me that evening. He just can’t come in until two, so both days you’d only have to cover for me in the mornings. You’d be free both nights and early.”

That didn’t sound so bad. “Yeah, I can do that,” he said, glad he and Sarah hadn’t made any real plans yet. “You and Val taking off for the weekend or something?”

Angel remembered overhearing Sarah and Val talking not too long ago and Val saying she was hoping to make a trip up to Havasu before the summer was over.

“No,” Alex said quickly. “That’s another thing. Don’t tell Sarah you’re covering for me. Valerie thinks I’m working all weekend.”

Frowning, Angel looked away and out the window. He got that his brother and Valerie weren’t exclusive. They never had been as far as he knew, and their relationship had always been a bit explosive. Normally, Angel didn’t get involved in his brothers’ love lives, but it sucked that this was Sarah’s cousin he was messing with. “I’m not gonna lie to her, Alex.”

“I’m not asking you to lie,” Alex said as Angel turned to meet his brother’s soured face. “Just don’t mention me at all. Say Dad asked you to come in, period. She doesn’t have to know you’re covering for me.”

“Can I ask you something?” Angel said, curious who Alex would go through all this trouble for.

“No,” Alex said simply but firmly, making Angel laugh.

He wanted to ask him why he’d lie in the first place if he and Valerie weren’t exclusive. If he wasn’t her boyfriend, then he was free to do what he wanted. What was the point of trying to cover it up?

But before he could, the message indicator blinking on his phone got his attention. He clicked on it and saw it was a message from Sarah.