Page 51 of In It to Win It

“I don’t know.” She scrunches up her face. “I assume right away, since they told me and Amy today.”

“You’ll still see her.”

“I know.”

“You two are pretty close.”

Taylor nods. “I’ll have to start looking for a place too. The house is going on the market tomorrow.”

“We should buy it,” Lacey says to Théo.

“What?”His eyebrows fly up.

“You’re just renting this place. It would be nice to have our own place, and we love it here.”

“Uh . . . that’s a bit sudden,” Théo says, being his usual careful, controlled self. He would definitely not make an impulse buy of something like a house. He’d research the market, check out interest rates at different financial institutions, and make a list of everything they needed and wanted in a house before even looking. “I was planning to look at buying somewhere after my first year here, when we have a better idea if I’ll be staying.”

“Oh.” Lacey makes a face. “Okay.”

“I think I’ll look in Torrance,” I say. “Near work.”

Torrance isn’t far from where I live.

“That’s a good idea.” Lacey pushes out her bottom lip. “But I’ll miss having you so close.”

“Our friendship is probably over,” Taylor says sadly.

Lacey chokes and my eyes shoot open wide at this dramatic statement.

“I’m kidding,” Taylor adds. “Sort of.” She lifts unhappy eyes to look at Lacey. “But I did think of that. What if you don’t want to bother with me when I live farther away?”

“Don’t be silly.” Lacey laughs and hugs Taylor. “Of course we’ll see each other. And we’ll send Snaps all the time, just like we do now.”

“Okay.”

My heart aches a little at Taylor’s fears. She’ll be losing a lot—her home, her family, and she’s worried about losing her new friends.

We all help Lacey and Théo in the kitchen, making the marinade for chicken and beef, slicing up onions and peppers. It’s comfortable and yet it’s not, because just being near Taylor is a challenge to my resolve. My body vibrates and my mind hums with wanting her.

My mind twists and turns with the effort to resist. It’s killing me.

I have to fucking get over this.

“You know what’s stupid?” Taylor says. “I’m m-most broken-hearted about Byron.”

I frown. “What about Byron?”

“Neither of my parents can take him, and I’m sure any place I can find won’t allow p-pets.” Her voice catches and tears glint on her eyelashes. “My dad wants to buy another house eventually, but I don’t know what we’re going to do with him right now.”

My heart contracts and my gut tightens. Fuck. She loves that dog. She’s losing everything.

“I’ll take him.”

For a couple of seconds, I don’t know where the words came from. Oh . . . me. They came from me.

She gapes at me. “What?”

“I’ll take him. I love dogs. He likes me. I don’t live right on the beach, but close.”

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