Romantically Entangled

Chapter 30

Nicki

I study Bey's profile as she drives: strong jaw, straight nose, thick black eyelashes.

And that talented mouth.

Just looking at it leaves me throbbing.

She slows the Coupe to exit the highway. The entrance to the Cooke Ranch is about five miles ahead down a winding county road.

Bey turns down the Swiftie playlist I put together last night.

I'd been determined not to listen to Frasier Bryson on the trip to my grandmother's place.

"Sorry to interrupt this estrogen infusion," Bey drawls. "But I just want to ask you one more time, are you sure—"

"Yes, Bey," I interrupt, turning the music back up, "I am absolutely certain it's okay with my grandmother that you come for Thanksgiving. She's totally fine with it."

Okay, that's a lie. She is so not fine with it.

But I told her I wouldn't come if she didn't allow me to bring Bey.

And Megan.

Yeah, Megan's in the backseat. She's currently dozing, her head leaning against Munchie.

Of course, we had to bring him too.

All my relationships seem to be changing.

My friendship with TT has soured. We haven't talked or texted since she hung up on me. I'm so pissed at her. I can't believe she got herself into this situation.

I still plan to ask my grandmother to help her. But I have no idea how that will go.

Virginia and I butt heads over everything. Even though lately it does seem she's trying to make things better between us, it's hard for me to trust her.

She's pulled so much manipulative shit over the years.

My relationship with Bey is good. Really good.

But we haven't talked about the Afghanistan thing—her secret—at all. I can't quite figure out how to bring it up.

I think about it a lot, though. I've filled pages of my journal trying to work out my thoughts—and fears—over what she told me.

Sometimes I catch her looking at me with the strangest expression on her face. Like she's drowning, and I'm standing a few feet away, doing nothing to help her.

It makes me shiver to see it. But I haven't said anything to her about that either.

I guess I just don't want to dig any deeper. I want to enjoy how things are with us right now.

And then there's my relationship with Megan.

She shocked me the day after the Halloween party, when she apologized for what happened on the deck.

"I'm not as big a bitch as everyone thinks," she mumbled as I stood there with my mouth open. "I know it's not your fault Bey wants you, instead of me."

"She never told me anything about what happened to her," she'd added, bitterly. "She never let me in at all."

We're not exactly friends now. But we're not sworn enemies, either. At least I don't think we are.

And when I found out Megan had nowhere to go for Thanksgiving, I invited her to the ranch.

Bey was not happy.

"You've got to be kidding me," she sputtered, throwing her arms up and stepping back, then tripping over Munchie.

"Dammit, Munch," she yelled, "watch where you're going!"