Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 83216 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83216 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Bran read me like a book, but his son was his favorite subject, so he didn’t seem to mind. “Every day is something new and adorable. When I left him with his daddy this morning, Andrew was sitting up on his own and blowing bubbles. That child might be a prodigy.”
I barked a laugh. “No doubt. I need to see your small genius before he learns more tricks.”
“Well, I was going to invite you over last Saturday for dinner, but Connor said you were out of town. And now I think I know why.”
I stooped to pet Benson again like a coward.
“I was in Carmel at Mr. Gowan’s cottage. He asked me to bring a couple of things home to him,” I replied, filling him in about our visit yesterday afternoon.
Bran’s teasing smile dipped. “Oh, honey, that sounds grim.”
“I know.”
“That poor man has been—what the hell was that?” He furrowed his brow and marched to the front door.
“What’s wrong?”
He peered through the window. “Someone just took a picture with one of those long-range thingamajiggers.”
“Lenses?”
“That’s what it looked like, but…I could be wrong.” He checked his watch before heading to the register. “I’ve been watching Cold Case Files reruns during nighttime feedings. Bad idea. Last night’s episode was about a bank robbery gone wrong. The perp was a first-class dumbshit who wore a custom T-shirt for a construction company with an address emblazoned on the front. I mean, c’mon…I solved that one in two seconds flat. Now tell me about Carmel. I didn’t know Mr. G had a house there. What’s it like?”
“Adorable. The whole town is adorable. If you’re thinking about expanding BGoods, I’d highly suggest Carmel-by-the-Sea as an option. Bran, it’s like stepping foot in a fairy tale.”
We glanced up when a gaggle of high school students entered the store and shared a bemused look. Teenagers weren’t our usual clientele. They gathered near the candle display a few feet from where Connor was busily folding throw blankets while chatting with a loyal old customer. He could handle the girls while I showed Bran a few photos I took in town.
Oops. I couldn’t open my photos without accidentally sharing selfies of Pierce and me at the beach. Now wasn’t the time.
I scrolled to my search engine to look for a few stock photos to show him instead, pausing to read the headlines:
“Earthquake in Turkey,”
“Astronomers Detect an Explosion in Space,”
And—my heart jumped into my throat, then stopped altogether.
“Pierce Allen’s New Man!”
Holy crap.
That was me.
I was the headline.
Cold dread trickled down my spine as I read.
Trending in the US, trending in entertainment, trending news:
#LorenzoRamos #PierceAllenBoyfriend #PierceJiltsDaphne #DaphneMcAdams
Unbelievably, I was number one.
I clicked a tab with shaky fingers to the so-called news.
“Pierce Allen was seen in Carmel with a new man, and things looked pretty heated! The A-lister and mega movie star of the Baxter Chronicles smash hit franchise was thought to be in a relationship with actress and podcast personality, Daphne McAdams, but the manager of a retail home goods store has caught Pierce’s eye. Sources say the two were spotted…”
“Oh. My. God,” I whispered.
And then the photos: Pierce and I kissing near my car, Pierce and I waiting for our lattes in Carmel, me in the store window of BGoods, me picking up my dry-cleaning, me leaving the gym looking decidedly sweaty and unattractive. I made a mental note to update my workout gear, gasping at a photo of Tony and I hugging outside the coffee shop with a new headline: “Pierce Has LAPD Competition.”
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Okay, breathe.
I turned off my cell and looked up at the posse of teenagers clandestinely snapping photos of me. I had to get out of here. Now.
“What’s wrong?” Bran asked, reaching for his lip balm.
“Uh…I have to go.”
He paused mid balm application and narrowed his eyes. “Lo? Honey, what is it?”
“Something didn’t agree with me,” I lied. “I’ll call you later.”
“Lo!”
I hurried to the storage room, grabbed my man-bag, and raced to my car as if I had an assassin on my tail. I instinctively headed for home, but that didn’t feel safe. My voice shook as I instructed Siri to call Pierce.
He didn’t answer. Now what?
I made a left on La Brea, chewing my bottom lip raw as I plotted my next move—and came up empty just as my cell rang.
“Oh, thank God. Did you see the—”
“Yeah, I saw,” Pierce replied. “Where are you?”
“I don’t know. I’m just…driving. I’m afraid to go home, and I couldn’t stay at the store and—”
“Meet me at my house.”
I barked a humorless laugh. “No way. There’s probably an army of paparazzi out there. Did you see that photo of Tony and me? I’d just met him. Geez, he was wearing his uniform. Are they going to drag him into something? That’s not okay. None of this is okay.”
“Baby, relax. Please.”