As he studies me with an equally intense gaze, I swallow and look away. The coffee machine gurgles and does its thing. Tristan’s kidney pops back in my mind, and Evan’s opinion that he’d give one to go to Ne’emba Island. I dismissed the whole notion as ludicrous last night, but the idea brews afresh. I even dreamed of white sandy beaches last night between snippets of Mia Reed walking the red carpet with a suckerfish between her legs.
Getting a foot in the door with Beaumont—before this whole St Chalamet disaster explodes—could be my saving grace. If I have a job lined up before the Mia Reed scandal hits the internet, I could be gone and gainfully employed before anyone is the wiser. I could sit out the worst in a place where guests wouldn’t even take stock of me as a human. How many people could stay on an island with twelve rooms over a period of three months? Most of them would have serious money to be able to afford such an exclusive vacation. It’s not as if I’ll be hosting all ofPeoplemagazine’s subscribers in one sitting.
Scandals come and go at such speed, the worst will be over in weeks. Eight weeks, max? For now, my reputation is squeaky clean. But for all I know, anybody who googles Alexandra O’Reilly a month from now will find a gazillion hits linking me to a porn-gone-wrong viral video. I can see the headlines already, and puke stirs in my gut.
I take a deep pull on my coffee, but it has a hard time going down past the tight panic in my throat. “What are your plans?” I ask once I’ve managed to swallow. I need to get my head out of this tailspin. “I hear from Evan that you’re working on a TV series or something?”
“For that, I need my coffee.” A smile tugs at the corners of his lips, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “To sum up, let’s just say I’m currently so fucked, I don’t know if I’m coming or going.”
I laugh. This is the Tristan I fell in love with: playful, sweet, and honest. “Care to share?”
He chuckles. “I’ll share mine if you share yours.”
“Ha!”
“Maybe not on an empty stomach.” Tristan reaches for the eggs and bacon on the counter. “Want some?”
“Yes, please.”
The front door opens and Evan walks in, sweat-drenched, with a pastry box. I have no idea how fast or far he runs, but he’s training for the Texas Iron Man in April. His gaze jumps between me and Tristan, and a smile spreads over his face as he comes towards us. “Excellent. I see you two reconnected.”
I shoot him a killer glare. It’s too late now; Tristan’s here, and I can’t run. I don’t have the energy in any case. I have much bigger problems on my hands. “Yep. Thanks for the heads-up, asshole.”
“You’re welcome, Pick?—”
I lift a finger to stop him midstream. “Yeah, the pickle business stops right now. I hate that freaking nickname.” It only seems to jinx me, and to be honest, my future isn’t something I want to mess up. Going forward, I’m going to call the shots, play by the rules, and be a good girl. “We need to talk. And I need a lawyer. Do you know someone cheap?”
Chapter Six
TRISTAN
Lexi needs a lawyer? My favorite type of person—not. I can only stare, and for a second you could hear a pin drop as Evan also searches Lexi’s face.
“What’s happened?” Evan asks as he puts the pastry box on the kitchen counter.
Lexi clutches her coffee cup as if it were a life buoy. “The hackers are threatening to release my name with the video if the hotel group doesn’t pay up.”
Wowowowow. What?
“Shit.” Evan drags a hand through his sweaty hair and groans. “Bring Tristan up to speed. I’m going to shower. Gimme five.”
Lexi’s eyes meet mine, but then she looks away.
“You don’t have to tell me anything,” I say. “If you need to talk to Evan privately, I’ll make myself scarce.”
She shakes her head as a tear cruises down her cheek.
My heart squeezes. “Lexi… What can I do to help?”
“Stick around,” she says on a broken chuckle. “You might come in handy.”
“Okay. I’ll do anything, you know that, right?” The words are out before they register in my mind, but they’re true. At one point, Lexi was one of my best friends. Between her and Evan and their mom, I found an unexpected haven as my own family life disintegrated. I’d do anything for any of them. Plus, I have lawyer connections aplenty.
“Would you? Be careful what you commit to here. What if I asked you to off someone for me?”
I laugh. “You? Offing someone? Never.” Lexi wouldn’t hurt a fly, but her face is serious. “Feeling murderous much?”
At this she buries her face in her hands to cover a sob.Oof. I made it worse. I go around the kitchen island to comfort her, but at the last second, I pull back. The last time I saw her like this, it was my fault. The best I can hope for is that we can be friendly for the time we’re in Evan’s house, and this isn’t the way to go about it.
