Daddy Has a Condo
Delaney
My stomach dropped. They'd just returned from Mackinac Island?
Seriously?
I opened my mouth to ask if they'd seen Maisie, but then clamped it shut just in time. Sierra wanted me to ask. I could tell.
And judging from her smirk, she was just dying to make somebody miserable – well, aside from Devon, that is.
When my gaze shifted to him, he looked away like he wanted to be anywhere but here.
Sierra gave a little huff. "Well?"
I looked back. "Well what?"
"Aren't you gonna ask if I saw her?"
"Who?"
Was I playing dumb?
Absolutely.
And from the look on Sierra's face, she wasn't fooled.
I wasn't even fooling myself, because it was all I could do not to beg Sierra – or heck, even Devon – to tell me how Maisie was doing.
If Maisie had seen the ring, I could guess the answer.
Not good.
Sierra rolled her eyes. "Nice try. But you're dying to know. I can tell."
I gave her a stiff smile. "But not as much as you're dying to tell me."
"Oh, fine. Since you're obviously curious, I think she's in trouble." She looked to Devon and said, "You think so, too, right?"
Devon nodded so fast, I was surprised his head didn't fall off.
Unable to stop myself, I asked, "What kind of trouble?"
Sierra sighed. "She's dating this guy. He's super rich and hot. But I know he's just using her."
I studied Sierra's face. "Using her how?"
"Well, you know," she said. "He's one of those summer guys. He's gonna stick with her 'til the season's over, and then leave her devastated." She scoffed. "Can you imagine?"
I didn't have to imagine. I'd seen it firsthand. Except it was no summer guy. It was "college guy" – aka Devon, who Maisie had dated through most of college only to be dumped on the verge of graduation.
Some might say Devon was rich and hot, which probably explained why Sierra had worked so hard to steal him. It certainly couldn't have been his personality.
But Maisie had always insisted that Devon was deeper and nicer than he ever let on. Then again, Maisie saw the best in everyone.
Still, none of this was ringing true. And the weirdest thing was, Sierra looked genuinely bothered, like this new guy was the worst kind of trouble.
For one ridiculous second, I started to wonder if she was truly worried about Maisie.
And then it hit me.
Oh. My. God. I smiled. "So, you couldn't steal him, huh?"
She drew back. "What? No." She gave an unconvincing laugh. "Do I need to remind you, I'm engaged?"
I put on my clueless face. "You are? I had no idea."
"Well, I am!" she said, totally missing the point. She shot Devon a look. "Right?"
Looking like a deer in headlights, Devon dutifully replied, "Uh, yeah. We're engaged."
Sierra's eyes narrowed. "You could sound a little happier about it. You asked me, remember?"
When Devon gave a panicked nod, Sierra turned back to me. "And as far as the summer guy, if I wanted him, I'd have him." She gave a toss of her hair. "But that's not what this is about."
Bullshit. I crossed my arms. "Oh, yeah? So, what is this about?"
She shrugged. "Just old friends catching up."
I was done being polite. "Except we were never friends." Sure, I'd seen her around campus. Everyone had. But that's like saying I was friends with the statue in front of the library.
She looked to Devon. "Hey! Are you gonna let her talk to me like that?"
He hesitated. "Um…"
"Oh, forget it." She turned back to me and asked, "You know what I'm starting to think?"
"No. But I'm sure you're gonna tell me."
She smiled. "I think there's a reason Maisie ditched you."
I almost flinched. Maisie hadn't ditched me at all. In truth, I'd been the one to break off contact. Still, the barb found its mark, and I opened my mouth to say something sharp, only to shut it yet again.
What could I even say?
If I explained that the lack of contact was my own doing, not Maisie's, I'd be throwing Maisie under the bus. This was the last thing she deserved.
So, in the end, I only shrugged. Let Sierra think what she wanted.
But Sierra wasn't even done. "I can see why, too." She gave me a sneering once-over. "Her new best friend is a huge step up."
The words felt like a stab to my heart. New best friend?
Okay, maybe I was being a little unfair.
After all, I'd had no contact with Maisie for over a year, which made me the crappiest best friend in the universe.
And yet, somewhere in the back of my mind, I had always figured that after everything settled down, Maisie and I could talk it out and get back to where we used to be.
But that wouldn't happen if I'd been replaced.
Sierra was still smirking. "And here's a little hint. She's someone you know."
My heart clenched. Someone I know? Like…a different friend from college?
When I glanced at Devon, he looked away.
Something inside me snapped, and I gave Sierra a hard look. "What are you doing here, anyway?"
"You mean here in Chicago?"
"No, I mean right here." I pointed down at the sidewalk. "I saw you on this same exact block just a couple of months ago. What do you do? Parade back and forth until you can find someone to yammer at?"
"Hey! I don't yammer."
"Really? That sounds like yammering to me."
"And for your information, Daddy has a condo two blocks away that he lets us use any time I want. So maybe you should get off my block." She flicked her head toward Devon. "Go ahead. Tell her."
Devon looked from Sierra to me and back again. "Uh…I'm not sure we can do that."
Call me childish, but I couldn't resist telling Sierra, "Yeah, well Maisie's 'Daddy' owns a home on an island, and I can visit there any time I want."
She stared like I was crazy.
I laughed. "Yeah, it sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?"
She hesitated. "But…what island?"
Oh, for God's sake. "I mean the island you just visited. Mackinac Island. Obviously."
"Oh, please," she said. "It's not like he has a house in the Hamptons." She gave an impatient little wave. "And besides, her dad died…like months ago."