She looked impressed. “You can do that?”
“Sure. I’ll take some measurements and see what I can come up with.”
“I didn’t know you knew how to build stuff.”
He shrugged. “My dad did some construction on the weekends whenever we were strapped for cash. Sometimes I’d come along to his job sites.”
Kendra nodded. “That’s cool. I wish I was handier, but I can’t even use a hammer without hurting myself.”
Jack chuckled, sweeping his gaze over her tiny frame, which was clad in a short blue sundress with white polka dots. “Ah, don’t worry. You’re too cute for manual labor, anyway.”
Her cheeks turned a rosy shade of pink as she twined a lock of hair around her finger. “Ha. So you’re telling me to just sit there and look pretty?”
The two of them laughed as they headed into the living room. It had a lot more furniture than the last time he’d stopped by. The end tables on either side of the couch were new, and he noticed that Pepper had hung some photographs over the TV unit. He could tell they were hers—her love of bright colors and quirky subject matter were her trademark.
“Do you want something to drink?” Kendra asked as he settled on the couch. “We’ve got orange juice, water, and a couple of beers, I think.”
“Naah, I’m good.” He swiped the remote off the coffee table. “I’ll just channel surf until she gets here.”
“Cool.” Kendra hesitated. “I was on the phone when you knocked. Do you mind if I leave you here so I can call my friend back?”
“No prob.”
“Okay. I’ll be in my room if you need me.”
As Pepper’s roommate hurried off, Jack switched on the television and scrolled through the list of channels until he located ESPN, then leaned back to watch the week’s baseball highlights. The sound of Kendra’s voice wafted in from the hallway, and he frowned at the distress in her tone. He was about to raise the TV volume when he heard Pepper’s name.
“…how to tell Pepper. She’s going to be mortified!”
Jack didn’t make a habit of eavesdropping, but Kendra’s agitated remark brought a rush of uneasiness. He warily rose from the sofa and crept down the narrow corridor toward the bedrooms, then paused near the door Kendra had left ajar.
“Maybe I shouldn’t say anything,” Pepper’s friend was murmuring. “It’s not like she’s on Facebook, anyway, so she probably won’t find out about it.” A long pause. “I know, but she’ll be furious.” Another pause. “Ugh. You’re right. I have…tell her.”
Kendra was talking more softly now, so Jack took another step toward the door—and the floor beneath his feet creaked so loudly he froze.
In the bedroom, Kendra stopped abruptly, then spoke again. “Mags, I’ve gotta go. I’ll call you back in a bit.”
Jack swallowed a curse as hurried footsteps snapped toward the door. He had nowhere to hide and no time to sprint back to the living room, and when Kendra appeared in front of him, all he could do was offer a sheepish grin.
“Seriously?” she huffed. “You’re eavesdropping?”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have listened in, but you sounded upset, and…” He shrugged in apology, then met her eyes. “What’s going on, Kendra?”
Her hesitation was palpable. “Nothing.”
“It didn’t sound like nothing,” he said firmly. “What happened, and why is Pepper going to be furious?”
Kendra’s silence dragged on and on. And on and on. Her teeth dug into her bottom lip, hands fidgeting with the silky fabric of her dress.
Just when Jack was about to voice another demand, Kendra’s mouth opened and a defeated breath flew out. “Fine. I’ll tell you. Actually, maybe that’s better. That way you can be the one to break it to Pepper. You know, as her boyfriend.”
His chest tightened with alarm. “Break what to Pepper?”
Sighing, Kendra gestured for him to enter her bedroom. Jack stepped inside and followed her to the desk by the window, where a silver laptop sat, the browser open to what he recognized as a Facebook profile page.
“So I’m sure Pepper told you about that guy we were traveling with, right?” Kendra started awkwardly. “Adam? He started a fight with the other guys, the night Pepper got hurt?”
Just thinking about Pepper’s cuts and bruises sent a jolt of anger through him. His jaw went so tense all he could offer was a jerky nod.
“Well, this is Adam’s Facebook page.” Kendra gestured to the screen. “And this is what he posted about an hour ago.”
Jack leaned in to study the screen. As he read the paragraph on the page, his eyes widened, but the shock swiftly transformed into a hefty dose of anger. Cursing under his breath, he lifted his head to look at Kendra.
“People actually write shit like this for everyone to see?” he exclaimed.