Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 93301 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93301 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
She snorted. “They sure aren’t.”
“That said, I did see quite a bit about you and Duke Pruitt.”
“That’s been over since last Christmas. He just can’t wrap his brain around the fact that I won’t come back to him this time. But that’s my own fault—I went back plenty of times before.”
“Why?”
She twisted a few blades of grass around her fingers. “You’ll think it sounds stupid.”
“You don’t care what I think anyway.”
She almost smiled, but not quite. “Sometimes I just like the idea of having a person in my corner, you know? Of feeling like I’m not alone.”
“What would sound stupid about that?”
“What’s stupid is that I knew I couldn’t trust him, but I let him be my person anyway. It’s embarrassing.”
“How long were you together?”
“About three years. On and off.”
“That’s a long time.”
She sighed. “He’s on the same label I am, so the suits liked it. The press liked it. Our agents and publicists liked it. Fans liked to obsess about it, which is always good for business. And sometimes we got along. He could be fun, when he wasn’t being an asshole.”
“Fuck that. You deserve better,” I told her, and I meant it.
Her eyes flicked up to mine. “Thanks.”
“So is Duke the reason for the no-trust zone you mentioned? Or was it the security leak?”
She rolled to her back again and flung an arm over her eyes. “He’s part of it. The leak was part of it. But the no-trust zone has been forming around me like a force field for a long time.”
I wanted her to elaborate, but it didn’t seem right to poke at old wounds. I decided to shift gears. “Can I ask who knew you were coming up here?”
“My assistant, my manager, my agent, my parents, Duke.”
“You told Duke?”
“My father told him.”
“Duke is tight with your father?”
“Apparently.” That arm was still draped over her eyes, so I couldn’t see her expression, but her tone told me how she felt about it. “But I don’t think he knew until today.”
“Okay. And all those other people—you trust them? They wouldn’t leak your location to media?”
Moving her arm up to her forehead, she looked over at me. “I don’t think so. Why?”
“A photograph of us from the parking lot this morning is already online. It doesn’t look like just a fan photo to me, so I wondered if maybe someone who knew where you’d be let it slip—for publicity or whatever.”
“Oh. I don’t think so. It was probably just a random person from Starbucks.” She continued to study me, then switched topics abruptly. “You have very large shoulders. And hands.”
“I’ve been told that helped make me a good swimmer.”
“Were you a swimmer in high school?”
“Yes.”
“Did you join the Navy right after graduation or go to college?”
“Right after graduation. I always knew I wanted to be a SEAL.”
“How come?”
“Because everyone said how hard it was. I wanted to prove I’d be good at it.”
“And were you?”
“Yeah,” I said. “I was.”
Her lips tipped up. “You’ve got a healthy ego, you know that?”
I gave her half a cocky grin. “Just telling it like it is.”
She looked amused. “Do you still live around here?”
“Right now, I’m living with my dad in the house where I grew up. But I’m planning to move out as soon as the bar opens.”
“Where’s your mom?”
“She died when I was ten.”
“Oh.” The playful expression faded. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
She sighed. “My mom drives me crazy, but I can’t imagine life without her.”
“What about your dad?”
“My dad.” She turned her face to the sky again, moving her arm down over her eyes. “He’s around. Occasionally he even sticks around.”
I waited for her to go on, but she didn’t. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to pry.”
“It’s fine. I’ve got Daddy issues, but who doesn’t?”
“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”
She sighed, then rolled onto her side again. “You know what I really want to do?”
“What?”
“Go out for dinner. Like a normal person. Just go grab a beer, a burger and some fries, and relax. Is that possible?”
“It’s possible,” I hedged. “Will you take the precautions I ask you to?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s do it.” I popped to my feet and reached down to offer her a hand.
She took it and let me pull her up. For a second, we just stood there, chest to chest, her hand still in mine.
“I’m sorry about earlier,” I told her.
“About what exactly?”
“Being a dick about your situation. Saying I’d never let anyone tell me what to do. I don’t really know how I’d react in your place.”
She looked surprised. “Thanks. I appreciate that.”
I dropped her hand. “And I’m sorry I gave you shit about that Instagram post. I just want you to be safe, and now I’m expecting a tour bus full of Hart Throbs to pull up any minute.”
Her expression turned sheepish. “I was so worried about what I looked like in the photo that I didn’t even notice the house numbers above my head. You know what? I’ll just stay off social media while I’m here. It’s only two weeks. It will probably be better for my mental health anyway.”