Page 48 of I Saw Her First

But I can’t let myself think about that. He doesn’t want me in his life anymore, and I understand. I hate it, but I understand.

“Daisy?”

I pause on the bottom step, blinking out of my reverie. Violet stands in front of me, her head tilted curiously.

“Oh. Hey.” I clear the rust from my voice and paint on a smile.

“What are you doing here?” She motions to Weston’s house behind me, and I glance back over my shoulder.

Nothing, just having my heart broken.

“Uh, a friend lives here,” I say vaguely.

“You know Wes?”

I did.

“I…” I look back at her in surprise. “How do you know him?”

Violet laughs. “I live here.” She gestures to the building next door, and something on her hand catches my eye. It’s a ring.

“Oh my God.” I reach for her hand, and she giggles.

“Oh, yeah.” She extends her arm so I can see. It’s a round cut emerald with tear-drop diamonds on either side, on a tapered white-gold band.

“Holy crap,” I breathe. “That’s beautiful. Congratulations.” I glance up at her beaming face. “When did this happen?”

“When you were out of town. Kyle actually tried to do it at Joe’s. He wanted to keep a table by the wall free, but he wasn’t counting on you being away. His plan kind of fell apart.”

I croak out a laugh. “Shit, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be silly! I heard you were off with a rich boyfriend at the beach.” She grins, nudging me, and heat crawls up my neck.

“How did you…”

“Jaya told me. At Joe’s.”

How the hell didJayaknow what I was doing? Celine must have blabbed, but she should get her facts straight. It’s not Jess who’s made all that money. It’s his dad.

“I remember you telling me last year you were interested in an older guy who came into Joe’s,” Violet says, lowering her voice. Her gaze slides back to Weston’s house, and her eyes shimmer. “Now it makes sense.”

“No—” I grab her arm and usher her away from Weston’s stoop, further along the street. “I was dating his son, Jess, but that… didn’t work out.”

Violet’s brows draw together. “Right. I think I saw him a couple times. But what happened to the older guy you mentioned?”

Against my better judgment, my gaze strays back to Wes’s. “Oh, it… He… It didn’t work out.”

Violet follows my gaze, understanding softening her features. “I see. Did you know that Jess was his son?”

“Not until it was too late.”

“It’s never too late,” Violet murmurs.

I straighten my spine. “Well, it doesn’t matter because even if Wes could get past that, he told me…” I shake my head, biting down on my tongue. He’s her neighbor, for God’s sake. An interesting coincidence, sure, but that means I can’t really talk to her about him, can I? “Never mind.”

Violet leans in closer. “For what it’s worth, I respect the girl code. You’re a friend and I’d never tell him anything you told me.”

I open and close my mouth, desperate to talk to someone about this. Desperate to get it off my chest.

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