Page 38 of The Sebastian Guarantee
He ran his hands down his face. “Is it awful I’m relieved you don’t know? You’re probably the last person on the planet who hasn’t seen it.”
“Talk to me,” she said, her heart breaking for him.
He stared at his cell. “If I’m right, you’re about to get an earful.” The color drained from his face. He mustered a grin that didn’t reach his eyes and answered the video call. “Hey, Tula! How are you, Ivy? I see you’re in the barn tending to the donkeys,” he said, then swallowed hard.
“Sebby,” Tula whisper-chided, “Ivy and I watched the video of you at the airport with the Tech Tweens.”
“It had over a million views. People in the comments were calling you . . .” Ivy paused. “I have to tap it out with my foot because I’m not supposed to say really, really bad words.”
Phoebe’s pulse kicked up. She couldn’t see the screen, but she could hear the disapproval in the girls’ voices, loud and clear.
What Tech Tweens video were they talking about?
The fog in her brain lifted, and she pieced it together. The girls who’d showered them with cookies had been seated at a table withTech Tween Fundraiserwritten on the sign. And then she recalled Oscar talking about some crazy alert—something about Sebastian stealing a cab and leaving kids in the pouring rain.
She’d written it off as clickbait. But had it happened?
“Girls, it’s not what it looks like,” Sebastian rasped. “It was a misunderstanding. I wasn’t paying attention when I was leaving the airport. It was pouring rain. I didn’t even know I’d taken their cab until Briggs sent me the video. I feel awful about it.”
He did. She could tell. His shoulders slumped forward as his posture crumpled.
“You left them in the rain, and they started crying. Did you tell them that you’re sorry?” Tula pressed with heartache in her voice.
“I haven’t gotten a chance, T.”
“Our teacher says you’ve got to take responsibility for your actions,” Ivy added.
“And if you don’t, it’s super-duper bad for your karma,” Tula continued.
Sebastian rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, I know.”
Phoebe stared at the man who hadn’t been himself for six months. Sure, he’d been acting like an aloof man-whore, but purposefully snubbing children wasn’t in his DNA. No matter what happened, she had to set the record straight.
She slipped Sebastian’s cracked phone out of his hand and eyed the girls. “Hello, ladies,” she said with a sharp twist to her greeting.
“Phoebe?” the girls exclaimed, wide-eyed.
“You guys need to go easy on Sebastian. He hasn’t been able to apologize because he’s been busy helping me.”
Speechless, the girls stared at her.
“And, if I remember correctly, you two are supposed to be taking a tech break and not sneaking around making calls in the barn. It’s one thing to play super-secret spies when you’re apart. But you’re together. You need to enjoy that time. It’s special. I enjoyed every second I spent with Sebastian when I was your age.” She tossed a glance his way. “And Oscar and Aria, of course.”
Tula hung her head. “I needed to talk to Sebby after I saw the video. I was mad because I’ve missed him, and my parents are always talking about how they’re worried about him, and then Ivy and I saw what he did to the Tech Tweens, and—”
Sebastian flinched.
“And,” Phoebe interrupted, “you know your brother is a good person. He’d never intentionally cause anyone harm.” As the words left her lips, a tingle ran down her spine. She could feel Sebastian drinking her in. “Now,” she continued, forcing herself to focus on the girls, “take a hike or pick some wildflowers. Commune with nature.”
The kids nodded like they’d been read the riot act.
“We promise to follow the break-break rules from now on,” Ivy said with a resolute nod.
“Wait,” Tula yipped, her jet-black braids swinging from side to side as she leaned in. “Before we end the video call, can you tell us how Sebby is helping you? That might help clear his terrible karma.”
Phoebe glanced at Sebastian. Gratitude radiated from the man, but it was mixed with something darker, as if he were conflicted. She returned to the girls. “He’s helping me get ready for a special conference. It’s where I hope to meet someone who wants to invest in the Go Girl community. He even helped me get some fancy new clothes to wear while I’m there. I don’t know what I’d do without him.” With her heart ready to beat itself out of her chest, she met Sebastian’s gaze. Her mouth grew dry. Her limbs lightened. It was as if gravity had shifted, and she was about to float away. This was not her normal reaction to her best friend. What had happened? What had changed that had her emotions all over the board?
Now Ivy leaned in. “What are you going to do about your makeup?”
