“I hope you do.” She grinned at him. “Though your stuff might be too scary for me.”
“Don’t be so sure. Now that you’ve read one Stephen King book, you might get lured into the dark side.”
“Since we’re on the subject of books, I have something for you.” She set a tote bag on the table and pulled out a paperback. The cover displayed a woman in a long, off-the-shoulder gown leaning into a shirtless dude with wavy hair, set against the backdrop of a pirate ship. “This isLove’s Enduring Bounty. I’m loaning it to you because you offered to read a romance novel.”
“So I did.” He took it from her, glad she’d remembered his earlier offer. “You think I’ll learn anything from it? Any tips?”
Her cheeks reddened, but a smile played at her lips. “You’ll have to read it and see, won’t you?”
Thirteen
When they were done eating,Charlie went to dispose of their plates and cups in the trash. The minute Knox stood up to join her, another couple swooped over and claimed their table. She was fine relinquishing it since she wanted to stretch her legs before they went to work.
Knox grabbed the steamy paperback and tucked it under his arm. “How about dessert? Want to grab some ice cream?”
“I’d love to, but I already indulged a lot.” She had a sudden flash of memory, recalling the way Randolph used to react whenever she asked if they could get dessert. He’d give her a condescending smile and remind her the calories would go straight to her ass. “I shouldn’t overdo it.”
“You sure about that?” Knox gave her a quick grin. “Because I’m getting a cone, and I don’t want you to feel deprived.”
She chased Randolph out of her head. Why was she letting him invade her thoughts when Knox wasright here, treating her with the respect she deserved? “Okay, you convinced me. But I’ll hang on toLove’s Enduring Bountyso you don’t get ice cream all over it.”
She took back the book and tucked it into her tote bag. They walked over to a kiosk selling ice cream and milkshakes, where he bought them each a cone—sea salt caramel for him and raspberry cheesecake for her. The sweet, creamy treat was the perfect way to top off her meal, even if the warmth of the sun melted it almost as fast as she could eat it. Since they still had a half hour before they needed to leave, they strolled past the floating homes, stopping to look at each one. She paused in front of her favorite, which was painted a vibrant sapphire blue and adorned with hanging baskets filled with colorful flowers.
“I like this one the best,” she said. “When I was a teenager, I used to come down here with my friends. We’d each pick a houseboat and envision what it would be like to live there.”
“Not me. Too many gawkers. Especially on a nice day like this.”
“I don’t think I’d be into it now. I like being around people, but this is too much.”
As they walked, her mind kept bouncing back to everything Knox had told her. In the past, he’d revealed so little about himself that she’d regarded each tidbit like a tiny gem. But today, he’d opened the whole damn treasure chest.
“Thanks again for sharing all that stuff aboutThe Hidden Forest,” she said. “It couldn’t have been easy for you to relive it.”
“The hardest part was deciding whether to tell you about it. Once I left you that letter, I knew there was no going back.”
She licked the side of her cone, trying to catch the drips before they fell on her hand. “Who else knows? Besides me and your friend Logan?”
“My family. A few other friends. But that’s it.” He gave a short laugh. “Oh, and Preston knows, too.”
“How’d he know about it? Was it in your employee file?”
“Nope. When I applied to work at the Duchess, my resume only included my bartending experience. But Preston told me he did a deep dive into everyone’s past to make sure we weren’t hiding any dirty little secrets. He found mine.”
Charlie grimaced. Though she didn’t have anything to hide, the thought of him scrolling through her social media accounts made her uncomfortable. “I hope he didn’t look at all my Instagram posts. Some of my early stuff is pretty cringey.”
“I’m not sure how far back he went, but he somehow uncovered my pen name. I was surprised because I thought I’d done a thorough job burying Mac Iverson. Not only that, but I cut almost all my ties to the show. Other than Logan, no one knew how to reach me.”
She couldn’t imagine isolating herself that way. Even if she someday moved on to another hotel, she wouldn’t want to lose contact with the Damsels. “Were you close to your coworkers? Or was it an easy break?”
He stopped beside an aqua houseboat with a red bike parked in front. “It was tough. There were two writers—Zack and Norah—that I really liked. They joined the show right before we started plotting the second season, and we clicked right away. But Evan always disparaged them. I think it annoyed him that the three of us got on so well.”
“Would you ever want to get in touch with them?” She didn’t want to push Knox too much, but he might benefit from reaching out to a few of his old friends.
“I’ve thought about it. But I left so suddenly. Then Evan spread all those rumors about me. Maybe the other writers didn’t buy into his bullshit, but I didn’t stick around long enough to find out what they really thought. Now, it’s too late.”
“Is it?” She placed her hand on his arm. He’d rolled up his sleeves, and his bare skin was warm from the sun. “It’s only been five years. Maybe if you were able to talk to them, you’d feel better. It might give you some closure.”
He tilted his head to the side. “You think I need closure?”
