“Oh, that was… I just wanted to help out. Um, I’m gonna find the drinks. Be right back.”

I move on, only to be captured by Ryden and Colton, two guys who were starting tenth grade when I graduated from high school. They had very obvious crushes on me back then. It was cute and a little annoying.

“Daisy!” Ryden’s flushed face bears a smeary smile, and his hand flops onto my shoulder. He has clearly found alcohol somewhere and has overindulged already. “We’re back from Clemson for the summer! Freshman year was just—just awesome. Oh my god, it’s so good to see you. Thought I might never see you again after you graduated.” His face crumples, and tears form in the corners of his eyes.

Colton winces and pulls him back. “Hey, Daisy. Sorry about him.”

“It’s okay.” I pat Ryden’s shoulder, and he looks heart-meltingly grateful, like he might drop to his knees and worship me. “Just don’t drive home, Ry, okay? Promise?”

“He won’t. I’m staying sober,” Colton replies. “Besides, the guy who owns this place has like these watchdog servers everywhere, and if you take even one drink, you have to turn in your keys. They call a ride for you when you’re ready to go and deliver your car to your house the next day, free of charge. It’s fucking amazing. Hey, have you seen the VR room? The bowling alley? The pools? There’s a lazy river, too. Like the ones at beach resorts.”

Sounds like freaking Biltmore House. Who is this guy?

“I haven’t had the tour yet,” I tell them. “Hey, do you guys know anything about the owner? I mean, our families are well-off, right, but this is—”

“This is next-level, for sure,” Colton answers. “I just know he’s called Gatsby. They say his parents died when he was young, and he’s got a rich guardian who gave him this huge trust fund.”

“I heard he made his money off Bitcoin.” Ry nods sagely.

“Bitcoin?” says a familiar voice behind me. Hands close over my bare shoulders, squeezing possessively. “No one makes this much money off Bitcoin. E-currencies are so over.”

I shake Tom off and step beside Colton. I’m not interested in Colton or Ry, but they’re sweet guys. I’d rather hang with them than with the bastard who cheated on me after a seven-year relationship.

“What are you doing here?” I ask Tom.

“Me?” He gives me a cruel smile. “I told you I’d figure out what your plans were for tonight. Anyway, it looks like everyone on the mountain is here. The place is tacky, don’t you think? Too overblown for my taste.”

“I like it.” I tuck my arm into Colton’s. “Let’s go.”

“You’re here with him?” Tom’s black brows sink lower over his eyes, a clear threat written in the rigid lines of his shoulders.

“They’re showing me around,” I say. “Come on, boys.”

Open-mouthed, Colton and Ry move with me.

“Be good, Daisy.” Tom’s sneering voice follows me, itching in my ears even after we’ve left him far behind.

The guys and I stop for drinks first. Colton steers Ry away from the alcohol and convinces him that a cup of Diet Coke is actually a Cuba libre. Then we wander the first floor. The house has a couple of outflung wings, and along them are the recreational spaces—the bowling alley featuring six glossy lanes and a minibar, the movie theater stocked with plush chairs and a popcorn machine, a room with a ping-pong table, pool table, and board games, and a wide hallway lined with vintage arcade games and a Dance Dance Revolution station. At the end of one wing is the indoor pool, with a lazy river that flows through an archway and out into the gardens. There’s even a hot tub, a booth where you can borrow swimsuits in any size, and locker rooms for showering and changing. It’s a house designed to entertain people—lots of people.

“This is blowing my mind,” Ry groans as the three of us sink into the hot tub together. My borrowed swimsuit is navy blue, and so are the guys’ swim trunks. The heat of the tub bites into my flesh a little too sharply at first, but then it feels incredible. The tension of encountering Tom seeps away from my muscles, and I relax with a sigh.

“How long have these parties been going on?” I ask.

“Couple of weeks,” says Colton. “It wasn’t as crowded last time, but I think word is getting out that it’s free and everything is fucking awesome.”

“I’ll bet the cleanup after an event like this is a nightmare.” I close my eyes.

“I guess so,” Colton replies. “I heard that Gatsby even lets people stay here overnight if they’re too tired or drunk to get home.”

“Really? Seems weird.”

“Clearly you haven’t been to many parties,” Ry slurs. “There’s always stragglers hanging around until the next morning.”

I don’t answer. Truth is, every time I started having some real fun at a college party, or drawing too much attention from a guy, Tom would insist we leave. I found out later that he’d go back to the parties by himself and keep the fun going, sometimes with other girls.

I thought his jealous streak was cute. I thought it meant he really loved me, like with an epic, powerful love, an alpha-male love. I thought it was hot.

Stupid of me.

“I’ve been to so many parties,” Ry continues.

“You have not,” Colton retorts. There’s a splash and a jostle between the guys. “You’ve been to like three parties, dumbass.”

“You’re just as lame as me,” Ry says indignantly.

“You’re both lame.” It’s Tom’s voice again, and my eyes pop open.

He stands above me, wearing borrowed swim trunks that show off his lean chest and stomach. He’s leering down at my shiny, wet cleavage, which is barely visible above the surface.

I sink lower in the water. “Go away, Tom.”

“It’s a free country.” He crouches beside me and slides into the hot tub.

“Come on, be cool, man,” mutters Colton.

Tom fixes him with a hard look. “What’s that?”

Cowed, Colton glances away and shrugs.

“Fine. Then I’ll go.” I lurch upward, springing out of the water, but Tom catches my leg and jerks me back down. My shin cracks against the underwater bench, and I bite my lip against the pain.

“I love it when you bite your lip like that,” he whispers, his eyes on my mouth. His hand glides along my thigh under the surface, squeezing lightly. “You’ve gained a little weight, huh? Eating your feelings after the breakup? You should come to the gym with me sometime.”

“Enough,” I snap, climbing out of the hot tub. This time, when he tries to grab me, I kick him hard. I wasn’t aiming for his throat, but I’m not sorry when my toes drive into his Adam’s apple. He chokes a curse while I hurry away to the changing rooms.

There’s an attendant at the door, and I point Tom out to him. “That guy was harassing me.”

The man nods. “I’ll have him removed from the premises. Mr. Gatsby doesn’t allow that sort of thing.”

In the locker room, I switch from the swimsuit back into my dress and toss my limp feathered headband in the trash. A stern-looking woman is cleaning up the soiled paper towels and empty soda cans littered across the floor. Feeling a little awkward—even after all these years, I’m not fully comfortable being waited on—I collect some of the garbage as well and place it into the bag she’s using.

“Sorry you have to deal with this mess. People can be pretty inconsiderate, huh?” I smile at her.

She looks surprised, but she doesn’t speak until I’m nearly out the door.

“Little tip,” she calls to me. When I turn back, she says quietly, “Don’t drink anything from the ones with the bracelets.”

“Bracelets?”