He laughed. “Aw, wouldn’t want you to miss out on the fun.”
“Neither would I. And I couldn’t sleep anyway.”
“Were you in bed?”
“Yeah, but wide awake.”
“Now I feel bad!”
I laughed. “Don’t. I really couldn’t sleep. This is much better than tossing and turning.”
“Everything okay with Luis?”
“I haven’t heard from him since we left. He’s not sleeping at Grandma’s tonight. I doubt I’ll even see him in the morning.” I shrugged. “I’m guessing that was the last I’ll see of him for a very long time.”
“Probably for the best.”
“What’s the deal? With him and Colby? I know you know something.”
He glanced at me then stared at the road. “That’s a conversation you should have with Colby.”
“But he won’t tell me.”
“Never know. Just ask.” He turned into the beach entrance.
“I know he won’t.”
He parked next to a jeep. “If he doesn’t, it’s only because he feels like he’s protecting you. He’s not lying or avoiding anything.”
“Protecting me?” I jumped out of his truck and met him at the tailgate where he was pulling out two beers from a cooler. “From what?”
He handed me one. “The truth?”
“About?”
He sighed. “Man, Isla, I’m not trying to be a dick, and really I’d love to tell you anything you wanted to know, but it’s just not mine to tell.”
We’d made our way down the trail to where people had gathered around a bonfire. It was wrong to pit Landon against Colby if he felt that strongly about it. So I nodded. “It’s okay. I understand.”
“Landon, hey man.”
We both turned and saw wannabe rock star Gabe approach.
“And Isla. Long time no see.”
“Hi Gabe.”
“Hey, didn’t know you were in town,” Landon said.
“Just visiting a friend and thought we’d stop by. I’m glad I ran into you though. I’d love to see if we could work out another gig at Jack’s sometime soon.”
“Hell yeah. We’d love to have you again. It was a great turnout last time. I’ll see what we can work out.”
“Sounds good.” Gabe looked at me then back at Landon. “So you two. You’re together now?”
I almost choked on my beer. “No. We’re friends.”
Landon laughed at my quick answer. “Just friends.”
“Oh, okay. I was gonna ask how your brother felt about you snagging his girl but if you’re only friends, then—”
“My brother? His girl?” Landon looked at me then back at Gabe. “You lost me.”
My face grew warmer. “Colby and I are just friends too.”
“Oh, shit. Seriously? But you were together that night at Jack’s, right?”
“No.”
“But I could’ve sworn, you know, since he got all…” Gabe looked at Landon, then back at me. “Hell, what do I know? I was drunk then and I’m probably drunk now.” He laughed. “I’m going to find my friends, but you two have fun tonight. And, uh, give me call, Landon. Let’s set something up soon.”
“Sure, man. Sounds good.” As Gabe walked away, Landon watched, his eyebrows slightly bunched and his expression thoughtful. He looked at me and opened his mouth, then slowly shut it. He stared at his drink, then finally looked up. “Am I missing something?”
“I don’t know. What do you mean?” Being asked point-blank didn’t work well for me. It made me antsy, eager to talk, spill everything I knew. Not that I even had it all figured out, but if he asked enough questions, it would all come out. I wrapped a strand of hair around my finger to keep one hand busy while the other gripped my beer. Everyone always told me my hands did half the talking. So I knew I had to keep my answers calm and hands down.
“Isla?”
I stared at him. After all, my name was not a question, regardless of him making it sound like one.
“You and Colby.”
That definitely wasn’t a question. Nope. He’d found his answer.
“There isn’t a ‘me and Colby.’ ” And that was the truth. “We’re only friends.”
He shook his head, a half smile tugging at his mouth. “C’mon.” He led me to where some of the guys were sitting on logs turned benches.
I glanced around the crowd but didn’t see Colby anywhere. I’d expected to at least see him here. And now I couldn’t ask Landon about it because that would basically be a confirmation of his suspicions. Not to mention that if he’d intended this to be a night for just the two of us, it’d really be crappy to bring it up.