“That’s okay,” I said as I looked at my phone, seeing where my driver was. “My car is almost here. Thank you, though.”
“You don’t remember me, do you?” she asked.
I ogled at her beaming face, the familiar look making me wary. “Should I?”
“It’s funny. I didn’t remember you until I saw you,” she said, a small laugh leaving her. “My daughter mentioned you last week. Still, I didn’t know who she was talking about. I remember telling her she’d lost her mind in that gods-awful place she lives half her year in.” Her eyes lifted to mine. “But here you are.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked as my ears began to ring.
Her smile simply grew wider. “I think you’ll know soon,” she said, turning back to her van.
“Wait—“ I called out. “Who are you? How do you know me?”
Demi was getting in the driver’s side of her van by the time she turned around. “I’ll see you again soon,” she said, closing her door in my face. “I hope you like the cake!”
Dust surrounded me as she drove away, and I was left standing in its cloud as my driver pulled up.
What. The. Fuck.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR - CHLOE
“TODAY WAS WEIRD,” I said to Lana as I sat outside on the stone wall that separated the villa lawn from the rows of grapevines. I had brought out with me my computer, a glass of their sweetest wine, and the boxes of cake. No one was back yet, and the sun had just begun to set.
“How so?” Lana asked. “Also, you’re making me jealous with all this cake.”
“It’s delicious, too,” I said. “I had to Uber back from the tasting before finishing, so the baker put them in boxes for me.”
“What? Why?” Lana asked.
“Molly tried to post a photo of me.”
“Ah, fuck,” Lana muttered. “Did you just leave, or—“
“I lashed out,” I said.
“Oh, fun!” Lana said, her face lighting up. “That’s my girl. Tell me more. What happened?”
“Hey, Chloe?”
The voice came from the top of the hill, and I looked over my shoulder to find Tyler approaching.
“Busted,” Lana said.
“Looks like it,” I muttered. I glanced at the computer screen. “Text you later?”
“I’m heading to bed. Call me when you get back tomorrow. I need the details. Make sure you tell Daddy ‘hello’ for me,” she winked.
I rolled my eyes. “Goodnight, Lana.”
I closed my computer just as Tyler made it down the last stretch, hands in the pockets of his grey slacks. I could see the twinge in his jaw, and I knew his sister had texted or called him about what had happened at the cake tasting.
He paused a few feet away and jerked his chin toward the computer. “Lana?” he asked.
“Nightly chat,” I shrugged.
“Do you have to tell her everything that happens between us?” he asked, snap in his tone.
My eyes narrowed. “She’s my best friend. I don’t tell her everything.”
