Cole brought me home. It was dark. We sat on the couch.

After a while, he said, “Don’t you want to ask? Aren’t you going to hurt me?”

I said, “If you want to say something, you will. If you don’t, it won’t matter.”

He didn’t smile. “Do you know why she came to me?”

I shook my head. Maybe she liked him. Or Chad sent her. He wanted to know if I wanted that land.

I was shocked. “How do you know?”

“I own it. It’s what my dad left me.”

What a coincidence. So, Tiffany was trying to get it. How did she know? Chad must have known. He looked at me.

“You don’t think I just want the land, do you?”

I felt bad. I was doubting him. He grabbed my face. “Don’t be like that. I did think about that. But then I stopped. I trust you.”

“You trust Rex, too?”

He smiled. “You’re different. I saved them because I was kind. I saved you because I liked you.”

“You’re good at this.”

I tried to act mad. He looked at me and kissed me. “It’s not something I do. It’s just how I feel.”

I felt warm and buried my face in his chest. He was beating fast. I said, “I like you, too.” He pulled me in.