Chapter 1—Heather

I walked into the house, dragging my heavy suitcase behind me. As much as I loved visiting Grandma, I hated flying. Despised it. The cramped seats. The change in altitude making my ears pop and my head throb. Grumpy passengers bitching incessantly every time something happened that they didn’t like. I was glad to be home. I kicked off my shoes and parked my suitcase by the foyer table, then I headed into the living room, content to veg on the couch for the next few days.

But when I walked into the living room, I was greeted by my best friend, Corrine. She was sitting on the couch looking like she’d been run over by a truck. Her face and arms were bruised and bandaged, her hair was a hot mess, and she looked completely exhausted.

“Oh my God! Cori. What happened?” I sat next to her and got a closer look at her face. There were stitches in her forehead and several scratches from her wrist up to her shoulder.

“I was in a car accident,” she said, frowning. “My parents were too busy to come to the hospital, so your dad’s been letting me stay here.”

“I am so sorry.” Without thinking, I flung my arms around her.

“Ow.” She winced and pulled away.

“Oh, shit. Sorry.” I frowned. “Why didn’t you call me? I would’ve come home.”

“I know.” She smiled. “Which is exactly why I didn’t call. I didn’t want you to interrupt your time with your grandmother. I know how much you like visiting her.” Corrine fidgeted with her hands in her lap and averted her gaze, like she was trying to hide something.

“Yeah, but c’mon, Cori. You’re my best friend. You know damn well I would’ve dropped everything to be here for you.”

She nodded. “I know. And I love you for that, but I’m fine. Really.” She sliced a look at me, and I could see the distinct shine of tears in her eyes.

Were those tears of pain? Or something else? Maybe an emotional pain from the fact her parents hadn’t bothered to be there for her after her accident. Couldn’t say I was surprised, though. Her parents were two of the most selfish people I’d ever met.

“So, what’s the damage?” I nodded at her bandaged arm.

“Bruises and bumps and stitches. Nothing too serious.” She waved it off like it was no big deal. “How’s your grandmother?”

“Ornery as ever.” I laughed. “Apparently, she’s been having issues with her dentures, so she’s been on a soft food diet, which only makes her grumpier than normal. I swear to God, if I have to eat applesauce or mashed potatoes or creamed corn again, I’ll punch myself in the throat so hard, I can’t swallow anything.”

“Ew.” She scrunched up her face.

“Yeah, exactly.” Stretching my arms over my head, I flopped back on the couch. “Hey, where’s my dad, anyway?”

Corrine tensed, and her eyes widened, but she refused to meet my gaze. “Oh, um, upstairs, I think.”

I tilted my head slightly, studying her. She had been acting so weird the past few weeks. I didn’t know why, but I knew her well enough to know she was hiding something from me. But what? And why? We’d always told each other everything. Well, now that I was back from Grandma’s and the semester was over, I could spend more time with her, hanging out and catching up.

“Corrine, honey,” Dad called as he came down the stairs. “Do you feel like going out for dinner tonight?”

Honey? I jerked around and stared at him. When he saw me, he froze. His gaze lingered on me for a half a second before slicing to Corrine, who was twisting her hands in her lap. What. The. Fuck.

“Heather.” Dad cleared his throat. “I didn’t realize you were home already.”

“Did you just call Corrine ‘honey’ and ask her out to dinner?” I slowly stood, a knot forming in my stomach. Corrine had gone out to dinner with me and my father a million times before—that wasn’t anything new—but to my knowledge, he’d never taken just Corrine out to dinner. Because that sounded a hell of a lot like a date. And why would my father be asking my best friend out on a date? Why was he calling her pet names?

“Yes,” he said.

“Why?” My voice was pitched high with disbelief.

“Because I’ve been stuck in this house for days, and he probably just wanted to let me get out for a while,” Corrine said. “It’s really not a big deal, okay?”

I rounded the couch and stood near my father. “Is that true?” The hairs on the back of my neck stood on edge. Nothing about this felt right. Or innocent, like Corrine was trying to make it sound.

He nodded. “Yes, but that’s not the only reason,” he said, pinning Corrine with a look I couldn’t decipher.

I swallowed the urge to throw up and crossed my arms over my chest. Looking back and forth between them, I said, “What the hell is going on?”

“Heather,” my father said in that tone he reserved for when he was about to give me bad news. The last time I’d heard that tone was when he told me Nathan and his father were moving away. Ice-cold fear pulsed through my veins as he remained silent, the seconds ticking away.

“Dad?”

“Corrine and I have been seeing each other.” His words rushed out on an exhale, and he dragged his hand through his wet hair.

My eyebrows shot up, and my mouth hung open. “What?” I had to have misheard him. But when he held out his hand and Corrine moved to stand beside him, his arm wrapping around her waist, I knew I’d heard him perfectly. “Are you kidding me? This is a joke, right?”

He shook his head. “No.”

Suddenly, all of Corrine’s weird behavior over the past few weeks started to make sense. Spending a lot of time here when I wasn’t home. Like the night I’d gone with Nathan to his father’s loft a couple hours away. Corrine had stayed here the whole time. Just her and my dad. Then, the night I’d had a killer migraine and she’d slept in the guest room. She’d never done that before. Ever. Oh God! She’d been in my dad’s bed that night, hadn’t she? Well, that explained her reluctance to go out with Nathan, even though I knew he liked her. Fiery rage heated my neck and face.

“How long?” I balled my hands into fists by my sides.

“About a month,” he said.

I turned my attention to Corrine, who wasn’t saying a word. “You’re seriously sleeping with my father?”

She nodded. “I’m sorry, Heather.” She finally looked up at me. “I really am. I never wanted to hurt you, but—”

“Do you realize how fucking twisted this is?” I gestured wildly. Laughing bitterly, I shook my head. “I always knew you had some serious daddy issues, but this is taking it too far, don’t you think?”

“Heather Marie!” My dad’s brusque voice cut through the room.

“No!” I stomped my foot. “You do not get to stand there and scold me for being pissed when you’re fucking my best friend. What is wrong with you two?” My words hitched on a sob, and tears spilled down my cheeks. I flung them off my cheeks with trembling hands. “How could you do this to me?” My question was aimed at Corrine, because she was the one who’d betrayed me. I knew my dad would eventually meet someone and settle down, but I never imagined it would be my best friend. “Were you ever really my friend, Corrine? Or were you just using me to get closer to my dad?”

“Heather.” Her bottom lip trembled. “Please. It’s not like that. You know that. You’re my best friend.”

“Uh-uh. No way.” I shook my head. “Best friends don’t do something like this.” I bit the words out through clenched teeth. “You lied to me, and you betrayed me. Friends don’t fucking do that!” I screamed.

“I’m in love with him,” Corrine whispered. Her eyes were red and damp with tears.

Normally, I’d try to comfort her because I hated seeing her cry, but right now I didn’t give a shit. She’d shoved a knife through my heart and twisted it. The bitch could cry her eyes out for all I cared. “Oh, that’s just great. You’re in love?” My tone dripped with disgust.

“Yes,” Dad said. “We’re in love.”

“Oh my God!” I shouted. “You cannot be in love with her, Dad. You can’t!” I was on the verge of hysterics. My voice was whiny, and there was a lump in my throat that wouldn’t go away.

“I am. She’s moving in, and we are going to be together.” His tone left no room for argument, but he was crazy if he thought I was going to just accept this. “Look.” He dropped his arm from Corrine’s waist and stepped toward me. I backed up. “Why don’t we sit down and talk about this like the adults we all are?”

I laughed. I was sure I sounded like a maniacal lunatic, but I didn’t care. “Doesn’t sound like there’s anything to talk about, Dad. You’ve already decided what’s going to happen.” I moved toward the door and grabbed the handle of my suitcase. “But you can both go to hell if you think I’m going to congratulate you.”

“Heather, please. Don’t do this.” Tears streamed down Corrine’s face. “Please, give us a chance to explain what happened. I’m sure once you know, you’ll be able to accept this.”

“I will never accept this!” I yanked open the front door. “And I never want to talk to either of you again.” I hefted my suitcase onto the porch, then slammed the door.

“Heather!” My father was coming down the driveway after me. “Don’t you dare leave. Not like this. We need to talk.”

I flipped him the middle finger, shoved my suitcase into the backseat, then got in my car and peeled out of the driveway. My vision blurred with tears as I sped down the road, and my hands trembled.

My dad was in love with my best friend.

The bitter sting of bile rose up my throat, and I gagged. This could not be happening. I pulled over, opened the car door, and threw up on the side of the road. I groaned and eased back into my car, letting my forehead fall to the steering wheel. In a matter of minutes, I’d lost my dad and my best friend. How had that happened? And what the hell was I supposed to do now? Where was I going to go?

Straightening, I fumbled to get my cell phone from my purse. I called Nathan first, but he didn’t answer. So then I called Jessa. No answer. Kalani had left for a family vacation two days ago, so going to her house was out of the question. Well, there was only one option. I pulled back out onto the road and headed toward Nathan’s. Even though he hadn’t answered my call, I knew I could count on him to help me. Unlike Corrine, Nathan was a true friend. He’d never betray me like she had.