Page 35 of Break Away
She opened her mouth, but Levi held up ahand, head cocked. There was a rustling nearby, like somethingbrushing against dry leaves, and a moment later a small shapeemerged from the low brush at the edge of the clearing. Levibrought up his phone’s flashlight to reveal the tawny coat andpointed ears of a feline. “That’s a bobcat. A young one,” Zoeywhispered. “He’s beautiful.”
She watched, their hands still linked, as thewildcat saw them, froze, then darted back into the darkness.
Keeping their hands clasped, Levi stood andpulled her up. Silently, they returned to the motorcycle and weresoon winding their way down the mountain.
As she laid her head against his back, Zoeyfelt the night cocoon them. Wrapped in their own world, they seemedto move as one through the curves and turns until they slowed topass through Hangman’s Loss where the shops and restaurants werebrightly lit. The road from the highway took them home, and Levirolled slowly up their driveway, stopping next to her Prius. Hesteadied her with a hand to her arm as she swung her leg over thebike.
They stood next to the motorcycle and shepulled off her helmet, handed it to him, then unzipped andunsnapped the jacket and held it out for him to take.
She wasn’t sure if he was feeling theheightened intimacy between them. Probably it was all in her head,and for him this was exactly what she’d told him she wanted, anon-date.
When she glanced up and caught the intenselook he shot her, she knew he was feeling it too.
She couldn’t invite him in. The impulse to doit was on the tip of her tongue, but she liked him too much, andthe evening ride had been too magical. And really, sitting on thebench his mother had dedicated with love to his father while Levihad opened up about the time after his dad had died? Zoey wasfeeling a little too connected to him, and too vulnerable.
If he came inside, they’d end up in bed, andit wouldn’t be a hookup.
Lucy woofed her welcome-home bark, and Zoeynever loved her dog more than in that moment.
“Thanks for the evening, Levi.”
He didn’t say anything, but his penetratinggaze had heat coiling in her belly. He didn’t act on that look. Hegave her an abrupt nod then turned to her porch.
“Where are you going?”
“To make sure nothing’s been messed with,that everything’s okay with your house.”
She trailed him up the steps to where herfurniture and the fresh flowers she’d picked to replace the otherswere as she had left them.
“Keys?” She raised a brow when Levi held outa hand. “Humor me.”
She dug out her keys from her pocket anddropped them onto his outstretched palm. He took them and unlockedthe door. Lucy remembered her manners for once and sat while theyentered the house.
“We’re fine. Everything looks as it shouldbe.”
“Yeah. Guess Bear Dog wouldn’t be thisrelaxed if anyone had broken in.” He set her keys on the end tableand gave Lucy a quick pet before turning to the door. “Good night,Zoey.”
Chapter Eleven
Zoey leaned back on the pillows piled againstthe headboard of her bed. Lucy lay in her own bed, which took upnearly a quarter of the floor space of the small bedroom. The phoneon the nightstand chimed with an incoming text. Zoey chided herselffor feeling disappointed when she saw the message was from Eva.
E:Don’t check yourLookBook status.
Z:Why?
E:Trust me. It’ll bedown soon.
Eva’s warning was like bait.
Zoey opened her tablet and tapped on the LBicon. Her family and social circle were small. Usually, she didn’thave many notifications. The little bell dinged and “9+” came up.The drop-down tab showed a list mostly from people she knew: Eva,Maddy, Diego, Trish, as well as some names she didn’t recognize.They had commented on a post from the Hangman’s Loss communitypage.
She tapped the screen and opened the page. Apost by “Slut Patrol” popped up. She squinted to make sure she wasseeing what she thought she was seeing, then tapped on the image tomake it larger. A woman wearing only a red thong and impossiblyhigh heels, her naked breasts larger than Zoey could ever hope for,had one leg wrapped around a metal pole. Zoey’s face was plasteredonto whoever’s body.
Her first response was to laugh. The photoediting wasn’t badly done, but it was obvious the image had beenaltered. Then she read the accompanying text:Zoey Hardesty is aslut and a whore, and moonlights as a hooker.
Every post was an angry response from Zoey’sfriends.
Her phone rang with Eva’s ringtone. “Youlooked, didn’t you?”
